Night Shift Workers Explain Which Things Day Shift Employees Will Never Understand

There are few things people look forward to less than their alarm clock going off, before the sun has even risen, signaling that it's time to get dressed and go to work.

What those who wake up before dawn to start their nine-to-five jobs often take for granted, however, is that when their day is just getting started, some people's days are just finishing.

Those brave people who work the night shift, working through the wee hours of the morning when the majority of people are fast asleep.

What the day-shift workers also often fail to recognize is their working hours are easily the most minuscule difference between their jobs.

Redditor FIfromDefi was curious to hear the things that will always be overlooked surrounding night-shift workers, leading them to ask:

"People who work night shifts, what do day shift people not understand about your world?"

Business Hours...

"How difficult it is to manage basic things like shopping and doctor appointments when nothing is open while you're awake."

"Even worse are the constant apartment inspections that happen every few months always in the dead middle of your sleep time."

"Landscaping always mowing right outside the bedroom while you're trying to sleep."- Not_a_werecat

The If And The When...

"Sleeping, mostly."

"I used to have people ask me when I slept, as if it was possible that I didn’t."

"The concept of sleeping during the day confused more people than I would have expected."

"Also, in the winter (depending on where you live, of course), it’s possible to go about month without seeing daylight."-Lopsided_Tomatillo27

Not All Fun And Games...

"That we don’t have the day off."

"That’s when we’re sleeping."

"So many people think we have the whole day to do things."

"We don’t."- wanderingstorm

The Blacklist Sleep GIF by NBC Giphy

Pluses And Minuses

"The peace."

"It's calmer, less busy, and honestly way better than day shift."

"I am sleep deprived, tho."- RightEstablishment79

It's Eight-O-Clock Somewhere...

"It's perfectly fine for me to have an alcoholic beverage at 8am."

"Because I got off work at 6 am."

"8 am is more like 8 pm for me."

"I've worked nights for years; everyone I know already knows this, so wtf is with the judgment?"- Walmartian_Beta

A Solid Eight Hours Is What Matters...

"8 hours of sleep is 8 hours of sleep is 8 hours of sleep."

"Going to bed at 6 a.m. and waking up at 2 p.m. doesn't make me 'lazy,' I'm getting the same amount of sleep as you are."

"Not everyone struggles to grasp this, but the ones who do struggle hard with it."- Chronoblivion

Tired At Home GIF Giphy

The Price Of Sleep

"How hard it is to do anything where you have to interact with the 9-5 world."

"Banking, doctor appointments, all the mundane tasks."

"Really sucks to have to do that stuff when you're normally trying to wind down for sleep."- king-of-all-corn

Before You Rush To Judgement...

"Imagine a world where:"

"People feel entitled to wake you up at 2am."

"People act like you’re lazy when you sleep past 4am."

"You get to work and all that’s ever left of treats/special lunches is the cleanup."

"When you try to nip into the grocery store between work and bed people judge you for buying alcohol, even if it’s with a full cart of food."

"You hear things like 'well you can't just sleep all night!'"

“'Well you’re home during the nigh,t aren’t you?'"

“'Why do you need daycare?? You’re home!'”

“'That’s a bit lazy/selfish to sleep that late, isn’t it?'”- coffee-rain-books

Allotted Time For Sleep...

"Sleep schedule chaos."- Actonace

GIF by The Hills Giphy

Day Off? Never Heard Of It...

"If you flip to days when you’re off (in order to participate in society beyond work), you don’t have a free day for the first shift because you go back to sleep early."

"You’re not functional for the hours you’re up because you don’t caffeinate."

"The first day off after your stretch of shifts is also not a day off because you’re sleeping after being awake all night."

"You lose at least one day (that’s neither truly off nor paid) for every stretch of shifts."- waterproof_diver

One Reason They Invented Calendars...

"How easy it is to lose track of what day it is."

"On nights, you go home, sleep, and go back to work the same calendar day."

"Messes with your week, let me tell you."- striykker

Making Up For Lost Time...

"We need 2 days off work if we have an event."

"For example, a wedding."

"In order for me to be alive for a wedding on Saturday, I need to make sure I take off Friday night, otherwise I'm coming straight from work without any sleep for 24 hours, as well as taking off Saturday night so I can enjoy myself and not go straight into work without any sleep for 24 hours."

"I had to explain this concept to my manager on several occasions, including funerals and lengthy medical appointments."-burgerkingthundercat

Tired Day Off GIF by Pudgy Penguins Giphy

Not If They Want To Function...

"I don't have 'all day free to do what I want'."- Mumblix_Grumph

Sums It Up...

"WHAT ARE WE ?"

"NIGHT SHIFT WORKERS!"

"WHAT DAY IS IT?"

"WE DON'T KNOW!"- NewHumbug

The Open Road...

"I love that at night there is no traffic."

"Day sucks way too many people on the road."- umastryx

Lonely Car GIF by Boy Tillekens Giphy

It's very easy to judge or make assumptions about the way other people live and survive.

Which is why, at the end of the day, it's important to remember that all jobs are important and contribute to society.

And there's a reason we call them "essential" workers.