by Danette M. Scott

Created on: May 09, 2009

A little more than three decades ago, I was a young 18 year old soldier stationed at a nuclear missile site in Germany. I took my job seriously, especially guard duty. Soldiers at my unit were often assigned guard duty 24 hours at a time. It was important to remain awake and alert during your shift. We were responsible for anyone entering or leaving the area where the nuclear weapons were kept. We had to inspect vehicles and conduct searches of people and equipment before we allowed them entry into the confines of the missile site.

The job seemed easy enough, but proved to be more difficult than I could ever have imagined. In order to remain awake and alert for 24 hours at a time I began consuming pots of coffee. Not cups of coffee mind you, huge pots. I became addicted to caffeine. My addiction became so bad during my tour of duty that I actually had to have a cup or two of coffee before I went to bed at night. When my fellow soldiers were enjoying a glass of German beer I was hunting for a cup of coffee to steady my nerves. Caffeine addiction was just one of the many physical and emotional problems that I developed during my tour of duty.

While working innumerable graveyard shifts, I began missing much of life itself. I would sleep through meals, activities, and trips. I would be sleeping while the post shops open and as a result would lose out on shopping opportunities on post. I ended up going to a typical German gast house for dinner instead of dining for free in the dining facility on post during my time off because I slept through meals. German food is great, but it is difficult to save money when you are constantly eating out. Another problem that I acquired was a physical symptom similar to jet lag.

Time has little meaning for people who must work the graveyard shift or for 24 hours at a time. Days were like nights to me. I was tired even after I had a good 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. I felt physically and emotionally exhausted. Life was not as enjoyable and I was always grouchy. The experience of working the graveyard shift has left me with many life lessons learned.

The best advice that I can give to anyone who works odd hours or the graveyard shift is to limit their caffeine consumption and not to ingest any caffienated beverages at least two hours before the end of their shift. Depending on what type of work they do, they should bring a crossword puzzle or something to keep them awake and alert instead of turning to coffee or other beverages that contain large amounts of caffiene with them to work. Graveyard shift workers should try to develop a routine that allows for the inclusion of social activities and physical exercise.

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