3 answers
3 answers
Updated
Suzanne’s Answer
Hi Mariah,
My son is a police officer. Police departments must staff their departments for 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Because of this need, some officers will work the morning shift, some the afternoon, and some the nights. Many departments have trended towards 12 hour shifts which means some officers report in at 7 am and others at 7 pm as an example.
My son has been working the night shift for many months. He works from 6 pm until the morning. Then he goes home and tries to get about 6 hours of sleep. He wakes up about 4 pm. He says he is mostly tired all the time. As he works in the field, he sometimes has to go to court during the day which means somes days he barely sleeps at all.
Being a police officer is not for everyone. It is a stressful but important profession. It requires strength, stamina, intelligence, and critical thinking skills.
I hope this answers your question.
Best,
The mom of a Cop, Sue
My son is a police officer. Police departments must staff their departments for 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Because of this need, some officers will work the morning shift, some the afternoon, and some the nights. Many departments have trended towards 12 hour shifts which means some officers report in at 7 am and others at 7 pm as an example.
My son has been working the night shift for many months. He works from 6 pm until the morning. Then he goes home and tries to get about 6 hours of sleep. He wakes up about 4 pm. He says he is mostly tired all the time. As he works in the field, he sometimes has to go to court during the day which means somes days he barely sleeps at all.
Being a police officer is not for everyone. It is a stressful but important profession. It requires strength, stamina, intelligence, and critical thinking skills.
I hope this answers your question.
Best,
The mom of a Cop, Sue
Updated
Kim’s Answer
Mariah,
This depends on a lot of variables.
What time is her shift?
How far is the commute?
What other obligations does she/he have - such as children?
What time did they go to bed?
Here's two examples:
1. I worked the 2- 10 pm shift. When I got home, as much as I wanted to, I couldn't just go to sleep. The end of the shift was always very active, and I couldn't just turn off a switch and tell my body to shut down. So, I'd usually go to bed about 1 a.m. Then, I'd get up about 6 a.m. to get my son off to school, and go back to bed around 8 a.m. Then I slept until about 11 a.m. This type of fragmented sleep is bad for you. And, because there was a 2 hour interruption, I had very little time left in my day (getting up at 11 am!) before it was time to shower and go to work again.
2. I worked the 10 pm - 6 am shift. This way, I was able to go to sleep when I got home, basically uninterrupted. I slept from about 8 am- 4 pm, when my son got home from school. Many of my fellow officers on this shift would stay up when they got home, and go to bed around 2 or 3 pm, getting up right before work. I didn't like that idea, because it wouldn't allow me time to see my son.
Things that interfere with sleeping odd hours:
People knocking on your door.
Jackhammers. (people digging up sidewalks, etc)
TELEPHONE: no, you can't just turn it off if you have elderly parents or kids in school
activities: kids needing ride home after staying late for school practice; football games, choir concerts, Parent-teacher conferences, people who refuse to respect your sleep schedule (parents!!!)
Training classes, esp. when it's only one day, 8-5, and you are expected to come back to work that night. A one-week class is okay.
Insomnia
Having to work overtime, because you got involved in a complex case, or, because the next shift is short and needs people to stay
Family gatherings (no, they won't plan the Thanksgiving meal around your schedule)
Doctor appointments, yours or others that you need to attend
ETC! It's necessary to set as many boundaries as possible!
Yes, it's a great job! I loved it! We had a great group of officers, and we worked well together. But, it does change your lifestyle!
This depends on a lot of variables.
What time is her shift?
How far is the commute?
What other obligations does she/he have - such as children?
What time did they go to bed?
Here's two examples:
1. I worked the 2- 10 pm shift. When I got home, as much as I wanted to, I couldn't just go to sleep. The end of the shift was always very active, and I couldn't just turn off a switch and tell my body to shut down. So, I'd usually go to bed about 1 a.m. Then, I'd get up about 6 a.m. to get my son off to school, and go back to bed around 8 a.m. Then I slept until about 11 a.m. This type of fragmented sleep is bad for you. And, because there was a 2 hour interruption, I had very little time left in my day (getting up at 11 am!) before it was time to shower and go to work again.
2. I worked the 10 pm - 6 am shift. This way, I was able to go to sleep when I got home, basically uninterrupted. I slept from about 8 am- 4 pm, when my son got home from school. Many of my fellow officers on this shift would stay up when they got home, and go to bed around 2 or 3 pm, getting up right before work. I didn't like that idea, because it wouldn't allow me time to see my son.
Things that interfere with sleeping odd hours:
People knocking on your door.
Jackhammers. (people digging up sidewalks, etc)
TELEPHONE: no, you can't just turn it off if you have elderly parents or kids in school
activities: kids needing ride home after staying late for school practice; football games, choir concerts, Parent-teacher conferences, people who refuse to respect your sleep schedule (parents!!!)
Training classes, esp. when it's only one day, 8-5, and you are expected to come back to work that night. A one-week class is okay.
Insomnia
Having to work overtime, because you got involved in a complex case, or, because the next shift is short and needs people to stay
Family gatherings (no, they won't plan the Thanksgiving meal around your schedule)
Doctor appointments, yours or others that you need to attend
ETC! It's necessary to set as many boundaries as possible!
Yes, it's a great job! I loved it! We had a great group of officers, and we worked well together. But, it does change your lifestyle!
Updated
Natasha’s Answer
Like other professions that provide varied shifts and variable schedules, officers may likely adapt their own routines to the job's patterns.
If he or she works day shifts, perhaps waking up at 5am or 6am to exercise is something that's possible. If he/she works the night shift and goes home at 6am, then getting some sleep when most folks are having breakfast is what some emergency response workers must do.
Other factors that impact wake-up times may include their family's schedules, their chores, appointments, personal hobbies, other jobs and general lifestyles when they are not in uniforms and on the clock.
If he or she works day shifts, perhaps waking up at 5am or 6am to exercise is something that's possible. If he/she works the night shift and goes home at 6am, then getting some sleep when most folks are having breakfast is what some emergency response workers must do.
Other factors that impact wake-up times may include their family's schedules, their chores, appointments, personal hobbies, other jobs and general lifestyles when they are not in uniforms and on the clock.