Good to know exactly when you are working. The best shift system I knew of consisted of three 12-hour night shifts rotating over seven nights. That meant, if working just those shifts, when a Bank holiday came round or annual holidays it really was a lot of time off. Some, who always did just the basic hours on those shifts, often found that without taking any of their annual holiday they had enough time off to have a week or so in the sunshine in Spain.
You have retirement all worked out it seems. I found it really is nice to have a break from work, especially after working shifts. Hope it all works out for you and you can do what you want when you want to, rather than that being governed by working hours.
Azz most of my life I have been a ‘night owl’ taking after my Dad who used to say ‘Time sleeping is time wasted, life is to short’ but then at one stage in his life as a widower, he was looking after 4 children and working full time (there were no benefits/help in those days, your strugged on or put your children in a children’s home) and nights were made for catching up on the housework.
Most of my work has involved caring for something, amimals, children, the elderly all requiring getting up or being up all night, so odd sleeping times or very little sleep have been the norm for me.
I realise now that this is not a healthy way to live and it will take a toll on your body if you miss valuable sleep that allows the body to repair itself and fight infection.
So now I go to bed at a reasonable time if I don’t there are consequences.
Yes, just that exactly really does make so much difference I’ve found. Also I don’t even have to be doing anything, it’s just not having time to myself for my interests for all those years and now I do have that time. Some in my family cannot understand why I am not doing this, that and everything else. What they don’t realise that’s what I have been doing for much of the last four decades. That might not have been actually out enjoying myself but it was keeping relationships with my two children going (after a marriage break-up), running a house, garden and car and being around for my parents as they became older so needing help in various ways. All that was done while working ‘silly hours’ and also driving thousands of miles each year.
Now retired I feel it’s my turn. It’s my time and all for myself (although not in any selfish way), I am ‘still there’ for anyone who night need my help with anything.
I empathise with the shift workers, I worked shift work most of my working life so that when I retired it took me months to stop myself walking at 4.30/5am.
Originally I worked mostly 8hour rotating shifts (day, night, afternoons) until we changed to 12 hour shifts, I remember the first 12 hour night shift seemed to go one for ever but soon got used to it and found it the best thing ever with so much time off.
On the whole though I am glad that is just a memory.
My sleep pattern is haywire but I never go to bed before midnight & often wake early as early as 5.00am.
I believe my body is wearing itself out & suddenly I will just expire!!
I head to bed about 11 to read awhile, then lights out and off to dreamland within minutes. Sleep well until 7:30-8:00, then up for the day, no naps. I enjoy the last half of my day, and evenings I love, hate to give up the day.
Seriously tho, I know they say people need less sleep as they get older, but sleep deprivation can be a killer too - so please listen to your bodies, and if you feel tired… your body may be telling you you need sleep
I should heed my own advice btw, last night I was totally knackered by about 4am but wanted to restore your Motoring and Hobbies & Pastimes sections and that involved going through a couple hundred threads to bring them out of our archives (so those sections wouldn’t be empty) I then ended up tweaking a bit on the homepage and 3 hours later I was still up
I need to give one of you a button that logs me off the site if I am on it for too long
Azz, we feel safe while you are logged on. But, you are right, mister. Isn’t it about 2:30 am at your house? Log off and ease your eyes, mind and body. Tomorrow is another day.
The site has some great safety features built in btw - for example all new user’s first few posts and threads have to be check by a mod first and spam bots are less likely to join because the site requires javascript (99% of human users of the web have it switched on, 99% of automated bots don’t). We do still have to combat human spammers, but that’s where the new tools and members helping with moderation will come in handy
Also the site now properly supports HTTPS - so is encrypted correctly and not a bit of a botch job as what we had with the old forum.
Depends on my plans of course. On a normal day I go to sleep around 12am MST, and wake up around 05amMST. If I am planning night shots(photography) I might be up all night.
@Azz I thought I had noticed odd times on some of your posts Azz and wondered how you managed them? You are as bad as the rest of us when it comes to keeping strange hours it seems! All in a good cause though as this site really is getting going now, thanks to all your efforts!
Gone are the days when I had to get up at 06:15am and went to bed before 23:00. Now it’s midnight with lights out at about 00:45 and not up with the lark at about 09:00.
most of my life I have been a ‘night owl’ taking after my Dad who used to say ‘Time sleeping is time wasted, life is to short’ but then at one stage in his life as a widower, he was looking after 4 children and working full time (there were no benefits/help in those days, your strugged on or put your children in a children’s home) and nights were made for catching up on the housework.
hate to give up the day.
(I hope you’re ok? 
)
and spam bots are less likely to join because the site requires javascript (99% of human users of the web have it switched on, 99% of automated bots don’t). We do still have to combat human spammers, but that’s where the new tools and members helping with moderation will come in handy 
