How I Survive Night Shifts | Routine + Recovery | VLOG

I’m finally back with another vlog! This time I will be bringing you along a set of three weekend night shifts whilst on my paediatrics rotation.
As someone who thrives on a regimented sleep schedule, I’ve always struggled with night shifts. I find them highly stressful - you are working against your body’s physiological circadian rhythm, making potentially difficult and complex decisions, at a time when there are fewer staff members around.
Over the years I have collected valuable hints and tips from both reading and experience to help me cope better with night shifts. Here I present them in a vlog format. I cover what I bring to my night shift, food preparation, how to optimise conditions for daytime sleep, some physiology on night time working, and much more. My cat Pepe also makes an appearance!
I hope you pick up something useful, whether you are yet to do your first night shift or you are a night shift veteran. ✨
🔗 Useful links:
Night shift paper by Dr Michael Farquhar: ep.bmj.com/con...
🎶 Music by:
PRGMAT - Lucid Dream - thmatc.co/?l=1...
Andres Jacque - Earth's Music - thmatc.co/?l=3...
Raf Bernardino - Cooldown - thmatc.co/?l=9...
Naomi - Candy - thmatc.co/?l=0...
Mr. Chase - Duality - thmatc.co/?l=A...
Onistus - Morning - thmatc.co/?l=2...
Mark Generous - Let Me Drive - thmatc.co/?l=D...
Kissmykas - Q N D V C (When You) - thmatc.co/?l=F...
Mark Generous - That One Morning - thmatc.co/?l=7...
ystr - Midnight - thmatc.co/?l=5...
Disclaimer:
This video was made with the strictest standards to maintain patient confidentiality.

[@Adryanna90]

I’m not a nurse but I do work over night mom-fri and this is still quite helpful and also kind of reminds me that there are other people who go through the same crazy hour shifts and barely seeing the light of day lol I’ve learned that I need sunglasses, Tylenol, tums, and Oreo better food! Awesome video! And thank you for your service 😊

[@hermie7872]

What an excellent vlog, this channel needs more recognition..!

[@HH-gv8mx]

I have been working the night shift for five years. And now I’m trying to switch to dayshift. And it is brutal. I cannot stay awake during the day. I actually feel nauseous. I’m so tired. When I try to go to bed at night I just lay there. My body is still on the schedule and I don’t know how to switch it. Plus I ALWAYS GAIN WEIGHT WHENEVER I DO A DRASTIC SHIFT TO MY SLEEP SCHEDULE. I WISH THERE WAS A GUIDE TO MAKE THIS TRANSITION SMOOTHER. I’VE NEVER HAD SO MUCH TROUBLE IN MY LIFE. I’M SO EXHAUSTED!

[@genesisgarcia9997]

love your style of vlogging! keep up the grind girl

[@deandipaola8727]

I found a great technic for working night shift , get back on days ASAP. I would have an easier time trying to figure out the Rubiks Cube then a night shift technic. You're not getting old, its this night shift that is making these changes to your body. And working in the hospital makes it even worse. BZ BZ BZ all night. I have been working night shift for 2 years nothing works for me :) The extra pay is not worth the toll its taking on your health !

[@HH-gv8mx]

I have been working the night shift for five years. And now I’m trying to switch to dayshift. And it is brutal. I cannot stay awake during the day. I actually feel nauseous. I’m so tired. When I try to go to bed at night I just lay there. My body is still on the schedule and I don’t know how to switch it. Plus I ALWAYS GAIN WEIGHT WHENEVER I DO A DRASTIC SHIFT TO MY SLEEP SCHEDULE. I WISH THERE WAS A GUIDE TO MAKE THIS TRANSITION SMOOTHER. I’VE NEVER HAD SO MUCH TROUBLE IN MY LIFE. I’M SO EXHAUSTED!

[@kasiarogowska7829]

your vlogs are so helpful, please do more!

[@MaskingMedic]

Soooo excited to have you back after a long break😊.

[@veronikakanakova7322]

How did I go from ,,late for school morning routine’’ to ,,night shifts routine ’’ videos so affin fast 😭😭 but loved the video 👌🏻❤️ also thanks for the advices this was really helpful 🙏🏻

[@drprateekgrover6628]

finally you are back ...hurray!!

[@riyamalik7467]

A peaceful, relaxing and tiring vlog 💞 Merry Christmas 🎄⛄

[@Bingbong299]

looking good, Dr. Leung! happy holidays!

[@Coffee_Is_Life_2010]

I am obsessed with herbal tea, if it was me, rather than 2 tea bags, I would have 2 boxes (green tea with mint for the caffeine and berry tea because it is amazing).

[@Coffee_Is_Life_2010]

Oh, and I am in the uk and it is currently 3:56am, I am 12 though so when I become an fy1 of probably even when I have just finished highschool i might start to get less good at staying awake

[@Coffee_Is_Life_2010]

Also, you have a new subscriber

[@nirosa11]

Thank you❤🎉

[@anastasialestari215]

You're such a big sis for fellow night workers :)

[@veralopezfernandez2728]

This was so great Katherine! Where’s your bag from? I always struggle to find a good bag to take into the hospital and yours looks perfect

[@azr6288]

love it hard work

[@rebekahpiper7773]

How do you handle having so little sleep if you get up at 10 am after your night shift and just have a 2 hour nap? :( Poor thing!! I just got put on 12 hour nights 7 pm-7 am so I’m trying to learn how to switch my sleep and eating schedules. I’ve never worked nights, but am a night owl. I could stay up till dawn on an easy night, but working 12 hours at night just drags on. Lol! I am really hoping the night shift works out because it’s a 2 dollar an hour difference and I get to be a night owl, haha.

[@HH-gv8mx]

I have been working the night shift for five years. And now I’m trying to switch to dayshift. And it is brutal. I cannot stay awake during the day. I actually feel nauseous. I’m so tired. When I try to go to bed at night I just lay there. My body is still on the schedule and I don’t know how to switch it. Plus I ALWAYS GAIN WEIGHT WHENEVER I DO A DRASTIC SHIFT TO MY SLEEP SCHEDULE. I WISH THERE WAS A GUIDE TO MAKE THIS TRANSITION SMOOTHER. I’VE NEVER HAD SO MUCH TROUBLE IN MY LIFE. I’M SO EXHAUSTED!

[@athelstan5794]

Im here before you become famous. don't forget ur loyal subscribers😅

[@N6J6R6]

Which blue light machine do you use?

[@julsca3738]

You insert IVs!!!! I have never seen a doctor do that

[@kajaload427]

hi, which eye mask do you use?

[@kevinkraftable]

wait...so were you just on nights temporarily? wouldnt it be better to stay on the night schedule on your days off too?

[@rayantarig1889]

Our night shift is actually afternoon night. Starts at 3:30pm

[@aliciagonzalez9693]

Hi Katherine! Would it be possible to message u about MSRA scores/rankings for London jobs? I'm quite stressed at the moment

[@unapologetic7]

Why do you eat beforeyou sleep?

[@tillamatila5280]

im still finding the way to change my biological clock, because i have night work, not night shift. I mean full time night work from 8,9 or 10 pm + 8 hours. I have good salary but..

[@greentea1986]

Wat earbuds do you use?

[@Bingbong299]

Hey Dr. Leung, do you have an insta for viewers to send you questions about medicine and medical school?

[@xpingars]

Good idea!

[@shannonshirey]

Cool I work nights from home

[@weshouldsaveourselves6780]

i thought you were a GP trainee but you are doing night shifts? sorry i dont understand how medical school works.

[@hermie7872]

She’s a doctor, not in medical school anymore. And GP trainees have their training in hospital setup as well as in GP setups. So during the hospital training rotations they need to do oncalls. Hope that helps.

[@weshouldsaveourselves6780]

@@hermie7872 oh i see. thanks :)

[@Coffee_Is_Life_2010]

@@weshouldsaveourselves6780 the way the system works in the uk is you have med school, after that you become an fy1 (foundation year 1) then fy2.After fy2 you Can apply for specialist training to become a A&E doctor or a surgeon or In this case a general practitioner (you can apply for any speciality that you want).You then do speciality training, for a gp, it is I believe 3 years although depending on the speciality it can last for up to 8 years. After you have finished your foundation and speciality training, you are now a consultant in whatever speciality you chose, in her case, a general practice consultant.Any doctor bellow consultant is considered a "junior doctor" and although fy1 doctor is still considered a doctor, you are basically new from med school apart from maybe shaddowing an fy1 for a few weeks, so you are not given your med licence until you become an fy2.I think Katherine Leung is currently an SCT doctor (specialist & core training) doctor, if you have still not decided what speciality you want to go into, you can do fy3 to see more places to find out what you want to do.Oh and I just realised that there are no general practice consultants, you become a general practitioner, but that is equivalent to a consultant.I hope that clears things up but it might well have just made things more compllicated.

[@Coffee_Is_Life_2010]

shadowing is basically when you supervise someone to see what the job would be like.

[@weshouldsaveourselves6780]

@@Coffee_Is_Life_2010 oh ok thanks

[@洪子玉-n1u]

SO COOL WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

[@sonyacarlisle341]

Are yiu atill on night shift?

[@pranav5007]

Wow! First off ur damn beautiful 😍(wify material). Second off ,can u please make a gp - surgeons salary or something vids?

[@greentea1986]

You should not eat while you are night. Eat for breakfast. It helps.

[@vibhanshukumar2736]

It looks like food vlog.. You eat a lot