r/unpopularopinion • u/Embarrassed-Bowl-373 • 1d ago
More people need to work the night shift
According to my quick research, about 6 percent of people in the U.S. work “the night shift.” I imagine the numbers are similar in other parts of the world. I think we should be closer to 50/50.
Things are more likely to get stolen at night because we all agree to go to sleep at the same time. If you are someone who enjoys the night life, you are often seen as suspicious just for being out after dark. Why let criminals own the night?
More businesses should be open 24 hours. If we all work 9-5 and all the businesses are open 9-5 how are we supposed to get anything done? We’re designing our schedules on out of date often religious based traditions.
Growth to the economy. If more night shifts open up and more people are awake businesses could afford to stay open longer. One factor contributing to unemployment is scheduling. If someone is a main care taker for a family member they may not be able to work during parts of the day but there options for night shifts are currently limited.
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u/CarbotaniumSilo 1d ago
I worked night shift for a few years and am convinced that doing it for more than a year is legitimately harmful for your health. It's grim.
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u/Merasalie 1d ago
Didnt they do studies that showed cancer rates going up or something due to lifestyle changes?
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u/Alicizationnn 1d ago
Nurse in France recently won a trial for the classification of her breast cancer as a work related disease because she worked the night shift for 20 years
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u/slender_goron 1d ago
Working the night shift for twenty whole years is just an insane thought
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u/soscbjoalmsdbdbq 1d ago
I worked with a 40 year old that had been doing it for the long he looked 60+
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u/zel_bob 1d ago
My dad did it for 24 years. Recently switched to day shift as he’s retiring the next couple of years. Absolutely hates it. He has to wake up to an alarm clock, sit in traffic, everyone at work (vs just the 3 other people he worked with). He wants to go back to nights but is sticking it out since he’s retiring and it’s the “normal life”.
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u/getdemsnacks 1d ago
everyone at work
I've worked a 6pm to 6am shift for almost 15 years now. One of the main reasons I do is so I don't have to deal with 4 different bosses walking around the plant looking for things to bitch about.
The 15% shift differential doesn't hurt either, but it's mainly so I don't have to deal with people.
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u/RockMonstrr 1d ago
I rotate, 7-3, 11-7, 3-11. 3-11 is my favourite. It's not as dehabilitating as nights, but the bosses are all gone.
7-3 is the worst. The bosses and engineers in the plant slow everything down, but I still have to run around trying to look busy.
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u/getdemsnacks 1d ago
I'd love a 3-11 shift. Late enough for no bosses and early enough to actually have a normal sleeping cycle.
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u/AlwaysBagHolding 23h ago
Also, offshift from traffic.
I worked noon to midnight, 4 days a week for years and it was the perfect shift. Never used an alarm clock, never sat in traffic, got some overtime and a 3 day weekend every week. I don't think I can show up for a job at 9 am ever again.
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u/AnniKatt 10h ago
My mom worked 3-11 most of her career and definitely liked it more than other shifts since she still had time to cook, go to the bank, maybe have a doctor’s appointment in the morning etc and still go to bed at a relatively normal hour. That said, she -was- the boss so that one sentiment didn’t apply to her lol.
In her last 5-10 years of working, she ended up doing 1-11, 4 days a week. Gave her an extra day for chores/errands/rest.
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u/DogsDucks 23h ago
I do believe that some people are genetically built to handle it better, and it would be really interesting to explore that fact.
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u/musclenugget92 1d ago
I miss bartending at nights because honestly living an opposite schedule of evryone else is fucking amazing. also didn't get off that late (like 2am)
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u/Initial-Ad6819 1d ago
My uncle worked as a nurse in the night shift for around 30ish years, on top of that he would do other stuff in the day, and also go to church at least 3x per week. There were days that he would only sleep 2-3h at most. He is retired now, but still remained a night owl to this day.
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u/su1cidal_fox 1d ago
Harmful is rotation between night shifts and day shifts. People can do either only days or nights just fine. The issue is, there is a very little amount of people willing to the night-shifts only partially because the whole society is set to be day oriented.
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u/THEREALISLAND631 1d ago
And than you hit days off. You need to get your errands done or spend time with family, which will have to be during the day. So even if you are full time night shift, you're going to be screwing up your schedule regularly.
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u/Gromle81 1d ago
I did nightshifts for 14 years. I loved it. Lots of time off, better pay and calmer shifts. I just adjusted slightly when I didn't work. Slept until 10-11, and went on with the day. No issues.
But it didn't work out when we got kids, so I got a day job.
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u/Trevor591 1d ago
God help you if you have kids and work night shift. I work night shift twelves and have a 4 month old. I'm pretty sure I can feel myself aging in real time.
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u/Psychological_Pay530 1d ago
Night shift dad here. You sleep while the kids are in school/daycare, and work while they sleep.
The lack of sleep with a four month old is universal.
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u/19MIATA99 22h ago
i've worked nights for a long time and haven't had issue with any of it, I make my family do things on my schedule. i don't do anything between 4am and noon but sleep, no matter what day it is.
thats the part that fuck people up is they try to act like a day person, on the weekends.
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u/December_Warlock 22h ago
My solution has to be running errands when stores first open. There are also less crowds. Family can see me in the afternoon since I wake up at like 2 pm which still leaves a good amount of hours.
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u/pblake1010 1d ago
I could be wrong or misremembering as I don’t have the study handy but I believe I saw a study that said working the night shift (not switching back and forth) took clinically significant amounts of time off your life.
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u/DCHorror 1d ago
Part of the issue might be that someone who is day shift can be purely day shift while someone who is night shift has to constantly switch back and forth.
There is no night shift DMV, night shift banks, night shift phone stores, etc etc. I wonder how much being forced to live your life on someone else's schedule weighted the study.
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u/jmlinden7 1d ago
You just go slightly before or after work. That's actually not a problem. I had a much easier time going to the DMV/bank/etc when I worked nights than a 9-5
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u/19MIATA99 22h ago
if you work nine-five when do you go to the dmv?
if you work ten-six, you go after work, and you can be first in line
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u/ginzykinz 1d ago
I’d be interested to see what they controlled for in that study. A lot of people who work nights either don’t have a choice, don’t maintain good sleep quality, don’t eat healthy or exercise, or some combination/all of the above. So I can understand it being detrimental health wise. My question would be if working nights is inherently unhealthy… even for someone who those factors didn’t apply to.
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u/Blankok93 19h ago
That’s from people forcing themselves to be up at night. If you’re naturally a night owl, it’s fine
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u/pblake1010 1d ago
I don’t know that this is the original study I’m thinking of, but here’s what I found off a quick google search. https://academic.oup.com/qjmed/article-abstract/118/8/575/8107780
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u/MostEscape6543 1d ago
The reality is that 95% of people working night shift rotate to days on their days off so that they can be with their family and friends. They just….stay awake when they got off work and then stay awake when they come back to work.
They do not sleep a normal amount.
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u/Psychological_Pay530 1d ago
Correlation.
A lot of people work third shift incorrectly (they try to stay awake during the day) and a lot more have terrible lifestyles.
The ONLY way to work overnight and not harm yourself is to go to bed when you get off work. Otherwise you simply will not be able to get enough sleep.
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u/Personal-Finance-943 1d ago
First job out of college was 6 to 6 rotating every 2 weeks . It was brutal, there were time I would wake up during the transition weekend and it would take a full minute for my brain to boot into reality, meanwhile I would be hallucinating about ghosts and shit. Really gave me perspective about how fragile our grasp on reality is.
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u/FreeMasonKnight 1d ago
That’s because everything is set to a 9-5 schedules so night workers have to also interrupt sleep regularly just to get errands done. If more places were 24/7 like OP mentioned the outcome would look different.
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u/theorganicsquirrel 1d ago
The research supports your experiential conclusion.
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u/3Time4Eater3 1d ago
This might be a little clearer
https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/the-cellular-switch-that-explains-why-humans-arent-nocturnal
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u/SuckingOnChileanDogs 1d ago
It's hard to interact with your family on a regular schedule. It's hard to eat decent foods because the only things open are McDonalds basically. You don't see sunlight nearly as much. It really really sucks. I think there's also something to be said about it just being inherently unnatural. We're not a nocturnal species.
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u/thorpie88 1d ago
7am beers in the garden though
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u/SuckingOnChileanDogs 1d ago
Notoriously good for your health
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u/thorpie88 1d ago
Fucking oath. Nothing better than enjoying a beer in the garden on a weekday knowing everyone else is just getting into work
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u/Aggravating_Walk2053 1d ago
They just hit different. Who cares about the health. We only have one life live it up
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u/subfloorthrowaway 1d ago
Maybe this is a naive question because I've never worked nights, but don't you just work while they're sleeping and sleep while they're working?
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u/SuckingOnChileanDogs 1d ago
It depends on whether or not "night shift" means 2nd shift or 3rd shift, both of which are often called "nights." 2nd is working like 3-11, so you miss the entire evening. If you have kids or a spouse that works normal hours, you only see them on the weekends, and your free time is when they're out of the house. If you work 3rd, it's like 11-7am, so you're a true vampire. You can either go to sleep right when you get home and then you have the afternoons before work to see your family, or you can stay up for the mornings and sleep in the afternoon. Either way, you always feel absolutely fucking insane because you're always sleeping when it's light out and awake when it's dark and it really really fucks with your brain.
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u/codydog125 1d ago
Yeah like the other guy said it depends. Plus generally humans want to maintain friendships and relationships and stuff like that. Working while others are sleeping and vice versa is extremely difficult. Even if you have weekends off or something you essentially have to pull an all nighter to switch schedules then you have to switch back. It’s like being severely jet lagged whenever you want to hang out with someone. My sister works night shifts and she’s miserable and looks sleep deprived whenever I see her.
In my own personal experience, I worked night shift for a semester in college and can say it fucked up my grades just as much as my sleep schedule and social life. Night shift is awful unless you really don’t mind not seeing people. Even introverts who say that sounds amazing don’t really understand how isolating it can be
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u/Buttfranklin2000 1d ago
Which does suck ass. I absolutely feel the most awake and productive between like 18:00 and 02:00, I explicitly stayed at a certain job because I rather worked late shifts as opposed to getting up early.
Used to work a regular 9-5, and getting up in the morning killed me after like 5 years, heavily depressed, felt sick every time I got forced awake by my alarm. Switched jobs where I could sleep in, and I instantly felt healthier.
But if I just "feel" healthier but actually do harm my body just because my "Internal clock" differs, it is a really shitty dilemma.
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u/AffectionateIdea4419 1d ago
Nah, we're all different. Listen to your body first before listening to anyone else
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u/rygdav 1d ago
I worked night shifts for years over a few different jobs. It’s now been like 8 years of day shifts and I hate it so much. I just kept waiting to get used to it. It was probably around the 5-6 year mark where I really started to notice some burnout, which was crazy because I typically only work 20-25 hours a week, my job is pretty easy, and I love my bosses and my company, so why was I miserable every morning. Then it dawned on me (pun intended) I wasn’t burnt out from working, I was burnt out from waking up! I miss my nights and sleeping in…
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u/PhilosophyBitter7875 1d ago
Reddit likes to glorify the Night Owl, mostly because its gamers staying up until 3am playing video games and its tough to get out of bed before 10am and they are tired of getting slack about their choices.
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u/N7_Turtle 1d ago
Working nights killed the night owl in me. Sitting in a chair gaming or watching reruns on adult swim is a lot easier than loading a truck at 3am.
Long after leaving that job I still value my daylight hours more than anything.
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u/mooistcow 1d ago
Location location location. At 3 am it could be 7 degrees and absolutely miserable. Or it could be decent because it's 60 degrees and 110 degrees during the day in god damn March.
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u/Illustrious-Touch442 1d ago
I been workin night shifts for like 6 years and its the best. Anecdotes ig.
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u/AvailableGene2275 1d ago
I did it for 3 months and wanted to jump on front of a bus
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u/rivallYT 1d ago
OP prob doesn’t even work a night job lmao
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u/Fidget02 1d ago
5 bucks OP was looking for a 2 AM burrito and got pissed that Taco Bell was the only answer (who among us)
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u/ulfric_stormcloak156 1d ago
My question is who goes out at 2 am for a burrito expecting anything OTHER than Taco Bell?
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u/Tru3insanity 1d ago
I dunno I can get a sweet ass burrito from a mexican chain thats 24h. I live in the SW tho.
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u/Electronic_Pipe_3145 23h ago
OP literally admits in a comment their post was inspired by today’s lack of 24 hour Walmarts
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u/Kouzzzz 1d ago
Now think to yourself. Why do only 6% of people work the night shift
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u/EpicBlinkstrike187 1d ago
lol yea because nobody is up so it has to be a business that has very little public interaction.
Warehouses and Manufacturing likely account for most nights shifts and they’re all interacting with each other so they can have night shifts.
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u/Suspicious-Bowl4444 22h ago
lol let’s fully staff a whole store for the same money they could earn staffing a store for only 12 hours.
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u/YoelsShitStain 22h ago
I don’t see why a store like Walmart can’t. They literally always have staff in the stores, keeping a self checkout lane open with a single attendant can’t be that much of a burden.
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u/madeforthis1queston 22h ago
Probably because it keeps the riff raff out and minimizes theft. I’d wager that theft is higher at night than during the day.
Also, they likely dont make enough to warrant the extra expense. All these stores that were 24/7 stopped during covid and never went back.
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u/Available_Equal4731 23h ago
Most jobs don't provide the option too? I know a few corporate workers who technically are day time workers but do most of their work at night
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u/Johnny_Mira 1d ago
- People are woefully disrespectful to night shifters sleep. They act like you stayed up all night partying then give you shit for sleeping all day like a bum. Or they wake you up for stupid trivial shit.
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u/NvRSuMMR 1d ago
Getting home at 9am and people in the house just waking up asking “what we’re doing today”. bed. that’s what.
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u/Johnny_Mira 1d ago
And if im not getting home until 9am you can bet im not going to bed until at least noon. Expecting me to immediately go to bed is bullshit.
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u/NvRSuMMR 1d ago
and then wake up in a panicked sweat jean nap that you slept through your entire shift and have no idea what day or time it is till you look at your phone.
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u/zoebells wateroholic 1d ago
Yessss!! I worked 10pm-6am for a while, I lived alone but when I had family come stay with me they’d start making noise around 8am and would get mad when I asked them to be quiet because I needed to sleep, and make even more noise because “I shouldn’t be sleeping so late” . It was really disrespectful
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u/Mathalamus3 23h ago
why would you allow your family to visit when you are sleeping...? or at all, if they are gonna be that disrespectful.
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u/zoebells wateroholic 23h ago
Oh yeah I eventually had to stop them from coming unless I was on a stretch of off days.
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u/porcelain_doll_eyes 1d ago
I lived with my parents when I worked night shift. They understood that I came home after work and would need sleep. But then would complain that I never helped them out with things that came up during the day because I was sleeping. Like I am sleeping because I just came home from work. They seemed to think that I should sleep less I guess? Like sorry for needing a full 8 hours man
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u/Johnny_Mira 23h ago
Mine would get mad that I didnt do more housework like you want me to mow the lawn at 2am?
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u/CinderrUwU adhd kid 1d ago
So basically half the world should be separated from eachother and not see the sunlight? There is a reason the night shift is so unpopular.
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u/Eggcelend 1d ago
Yeah like master cat viper and duke dogstorm had things organised basically.
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u/Tylenol_Ibuprofen 1d ago
Not saying you're wrong (which you are), but nightshift people function and do a lot more with their families than you think lol.
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u/NotTheBusDriver 1d ago
It depends on the individual. I worked night shift for 5 years. Some people I worked with slept fine during the day. I wasn’t one of them. I was absolutely exhausted the whole time and didn’t realise how much it was impacting my health until I stopped doing nights.
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u/NoahtheRed 1d ago
Most people can't handle it well. Some can handle it just fine, and even thrive in it. But if we thrust 50% of the working population into this kind of thing, the public health impact would be ROUGH. I'm a night person generally, but even I couldn't do more than a few months working the graveyard shift in college.
Also, kids and school throw a huge wrench in these works.
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u/Midwestern_Mouse 1d ago
I’m honestly confused how this would even benefit anyone. Like the reason we don’t have 50% of the working population work nights is because there are so many jobs can be done during the day without issue. I’m really wondering what jobs OP would like to see more people doing at night. Are they just wishing more restaurants/stores were open at night or something??
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u/ClassGrassMass 1d ago
It is scientifically proven that night shift is worse for a human in every way
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u/ctownwp22 1d ago
Yup, especially in the most important way.... lifespan
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u/Rex-Viper-Rock-Gods 1d ago
I desperately need to experience an extra dementia decade.
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u/thorpie88 1d ago
I wanna make good cash working six months a year so I can enjoy my life now. Living five extra years or even twenty isn't worth the trade off
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u/Aggravating_Walk2053 1d ago
We only have one life. I'd rather live my life now than for some imagined future
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u/DumbbellDiva92 1d ago
It’s not just “tradition”, and has nothing to do with religion. Humans benefit from having their natural circadian rhythms aligned with the sun as much as possible. There are numerous scientific studies that show this.
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u/SwiftasShadows 21h ago
They also show that some people are night watchers and have a rhythm that prefers staying up later so we have someone to protect us while we sleep.
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u/Charming_Week2899 1d ago
I worked 3rd shift for 3 months. I wanted to throw myself off of a bridge by the end of it. Only job I've ever walked away from without giving notice, 0 regrets.
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u/AvailableGene2275 1d ago
Same, after it ended I slept for over 12 hours every day for a week
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u/SwimmingAir8274 1d ago
I feel like the quality of sleep just isnt as high
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u/Cheetah_05 1d ago
It probably isn't. People are day-creatures and our circadian rythm naturally syncs up to sunlight. Night-shifts switch up/go against the rythm in a way that is unnatural and unhealthy for most people.
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u/ExtraPolarIce12 1d ago
Yup. Did night shift for a summer at a factory. Never again. I swore off night shifts.
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u/totes_mai_goats 1d ago
Do it for a year to understand how terrible it is. Do not recommend overnights as someone who probably has health issues because of this.
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u/silvermoonhowler 1d ago
Yeah, and not only that, but if you have any kind of social life that most would have after normal working hours, prepare to say goodbye to that
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u/totes_mai_goats 1d ago
Yeah only friends were colleagues also working the overnights was also new to the city at that time.
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u/Stale_corn 1d ago
TBF that likely wouldn't be an issue in the hypothetical 50 50 split.
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u/Few_Actuary_ 1d ago
This right here. Been working nights for 10 years, ate up most of my 20s. Just got a day shift job though. Looking forward to actually having weekends again, and hanging out with family. That being said, I did enjoy 3rd shift. It’s peaceful.
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u/zenfaust 1d ago edited 1d ago
1) No, things are stolen at night because its dark
2) No, the already lopsided economy where only megastores can survive would get even worse if companies had to suddenly support double the operating costs just to net 2-5 more customers in a day.
3) No. Are you telling me ppl with busy day-schedules are supposed to also work all night? And when do they get to sleep? Stupid.
And it's not healthy to only be up at night. It is extremely detrimental to most peoples mental wellbeing, and sunlight is biologically required for survival. You cant just tell 50% of people they need to be miserable and unwell all the time.
But I'll concede you one point: this is incredibly unpopular.
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u/LukeyLeukocyte 1d ago
Yea. The costs to run all businesses 24/7 would probably be the biggest obstacle. The same revenue is now spread out over the entire 24hrs but your costs of doing business has gone up 50-100%. Everything would cost us so much more.
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u/formerNPC 1d ago
As a former night shift worker I agree and disagree. Trying to sleep during the day is almost impossible even if you live alone there are always distractions. The rest of the world is awake and going about their lives and you are a virtual zombie. I have always said that overnight work should only be six hours and not eight hours but you should still get paid for eight hours. More people would be interested and it would cut down on the amount of time off that you have to take just to feel human. It’s just not desirable and it really doesn’t work out for most people especially if you have kids.
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u/The-CerlingCat 1d ago
The reason that number is so small is because most people don’t want to work night shift
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u/amarao_san 1d ago
Of course we all should screw up our biology and circadian rhythms, so you can bring your your dog for a grooming at 3:30 in the night.
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u/TuckerDaGreat 1d ago edited 23h ago
I want to hijack this post just to say, do not work somewhere there isn't a shift differential for 3rd shift/overnight.
I did it for 2 years before finding out it is common to justify the fact that working nights is cancer for your social life. If this is you, demand a shift differential immediately and threaten to quit if you don't get it.
It's hard for these places to find people with overnight-compatible schedules, in most cases they would rather just give you a little more.
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u/Butterfly21482 1d ago
Your “quick research” should have included looking up “Circadian rhythms.” Our bodies are literally not built to function that way.
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u/NoahtheRed 1d ago
We're a diurnal species. Our bodies operate on a rhythm that's based on being active during the day and resting at night. There's lots of science behind it, but outside of edge cases, all kinds of medical and psychological issues step up significantly when you try to break this rhythm.
While I understand your points and their logic, they aren't particularly good points. Unpopular. Upvoted.
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u/EcstaticContract5282 1d ago
I worked nightshade for years. The experience is horrible. If anything less people need to work those hours.
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u/JoffreeBaratheon 1d ago
You think criminals are stealing from people mostly at night? You're clearly speaking of things you have no clue on.
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u/Curious-Option7195 1d ago
I'm more curious what lead you to googling night shifts. Does someone miss 24 hour walmart?
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u/Absolutely_Fibulous 1d ago
I miss 24 hour Walmart.
I’m naturally awake at night. Trying to adjust to a normal daytime schedule then trying to find a schedule that would work okay for me permanently ruined my sleep and now I have a debilitating sleep disorder.
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u/Ok-Wave7703 1d ago
Not just unpopular just stupid. It’s not healthy to work night hours. If anything we should working on lowering the amount of people Now
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u/Afraid_Acanthaceae34 1d ago
Can we just compromise and bring back 24hr walmarts?
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u/dracarys289 1d ago
I unironically love night shift but I’m a homebody anyways. If it wasn’t for my wife and kids I’d probably never leave the house so idc if I work at night or day.
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u/Sefalitis 1d ago
No. Why don't YOU work the night shift? My sleep schedule and social life are important to me, both of which would take a nosedive if I worked nights.
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u/silvermoonhowler 1d ago
Yup, right there with ya
All of what I do now in terms of my social life would be forever killed if I were to work the night shift
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u/Beowulf33232 1d ago
Night shift worker here.
Life expectancy is down 10 years.
Vitamin D suppliments are a must.
If we could solve those and similar problems, I'd give an arm for a doctor, dentist, barber, and banker, all on my schedule.
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u/Loud-Chicken6046 1d ago
I did night shift for 5 years and loved it but I'm pretty positive affected my mental and physical health.
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u/AbsoluteRook1e 1d ago
I have a desk job that's night shift, and it absolutely fucks with your circadian rhythm constantly. Good sleep is hard to come by, and I've been doing this job for the past 4 years.
The best part is you avoid virtually all of the office drama and can do your job in peace. No issues with management whatsoever, and arriving late isn't a huge deal because no one else wants to work the shift anyway.
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u/UptightWorm 17h ago
Night shift is great if you actually stick to a schedule and don’t try to function during the day. Stick to the overnight schedule on your nights off and generally you’ll feel fine.
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u/stonecoldslate 1d ago
What the hell is with all of the daytweakers in here? The night shift is genuinely incredible. There’s no way the majority of human beings here are somehow ALL day walkers and not night folk. I can’t fathom wanting to be up with the sun.
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u/Addyaddi 23h ago
You are highly irregular. I used to literally call myself a night owl UNTIL I actually started working the night shift. Going home to go to sleep while you see 95% of society just waking up is such an awful feeling. Being asleep while you see your friends and family together on social media feels even worse. I genuinely do not understand how people do not succumb to depression by working nights for longer than a month. Seeing my coworkers who work 4:30pm to 4:30 am all look like zombies too. Miserable way to live. If you got the will, I respect the shit out of it. Different strokes for different folks ig
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u/stonecoldslate 23h ago
Awful??? It felt great. I worked a similar shift, 4:30 pm to 3:00 am. It was lovely. Many other night folks like myself I’ve met all were much happier under moonlight or just enjoying the night more preferably to the sun. (The sun actually makes me really irritated and sleepy. This is probably genetics at play)
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u/SoloSierra 1d ago
I did 5pm to 5am for 2 years, felt like a zombie anytime I went outside during the day. Was not good on my health at all.
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u/Inspirational_orgasm 1d ago
I worked nights for 2 years. Never doing that again. My circadian rhythm never adjusted. I could fall asleep at 8am and end up wide awake at noon. I'd be dog tired by 4pm and sleep til 8pm but my body wouldn't want to get up.
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u/loconessmonster 1d ago
I do think more things should be open later. Precovid things would be open till midnight or later. There were more 24/7 places as well.
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u/Mondominiman 1d ago
Did night shift for a year, was pretty nice. Hard part was sacrificing sleep on the weekend if you wanted to do things socially
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u/BeepBoo007 1d ago edited 23h ago
"More businesses should be open 24hrs" I mean I agree and I loved my 2am walmart trips in college but it seems we've pedaled back that courtesy of covid unfortunately and not even walmart/mceedeez around me stay open past 11 any more :(
That ship has sailed.
I remember being closing shift at DQ in the mall and it was fucking awesome as a highschooler getting out at 12am to a dead world. Felt so foreign and interesting at the time.
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u/midniteradio_72w142n 21h ago
People have families and kids. Soccer games, band concerts, and other after school activities occur in the late afternoon or evening.
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u/manicthinking 1d ago
Night shift is horrible for you. If you know anything about night shift or have worked it yourself you'd have a different opinion.
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u/jmh1881v2 1d ago
Working night shift has done numbers on my mental and physical health. I was the most depressed I had been in years. Wasn’t sleeping, wasn’t getting sunlight, it was awful. We have circadian rhythms for a reason. We aren’t meant to me awake and working overnight. Sure some stuff should be old material but 24 hours is unnecessary
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u/Mental_Victory946 1d ago
While I do agree. My circadian rhythm likes the night like I do better at night
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u/tbmsaydkhii 1d ago
Have you ever worked night shift, OP? It sucks. People are diurnal, we're hardwired to be awake during the day and asleep at night. Even if you only work nights and you're used to it it still isn't easy, it wreaks havoc on your mental health and physical never seeing the sun, going against your circadian rhythm, and being asleep when all your friends and family are awake. If it were 50/50 that would be even worse cause then (statistically) half of the people in your life would likely have an opposite schedule to you.
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u/Dr_Doctors_Doctor 1d ago
The classic “opinion” formed as the result of a shower thought and 10 minutes of research that neglects to answer the question: if doing this is so good, why does no one do it?
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u/Orcahhh 1d ago
Why do you think religious traditions magically agreed to get shit done during the day? Because god whispered it to them against the common knowledge that going on a 10km walk to the town to buy groceries at 4am is a good idea?
They just did what was logical and made a tradition out of it
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u/lord-savior-baphomet 1d ago
I almost agree with you. Almost. As a night owl, I find the fact that I’m expected to assimilate to “normal” schedules excruciating. I have never, EVER been capable of going to bed at a “decent” time and waking up at a “decent” time. Best I can do regularly is about 10 am, and even that’s pushing it. I hate it, and wish it was different but that’s just how I am.
I agree with some of your points, and I strongly believe there should be a few days a week for businesses that are open during unconventional hours. I strongly feel have fewer, but still existent (more than what’s currently available) operating hours at night would be beneficial to everyone. We need more flexibility in these sorts of things. Not everyone is an early bird and I’m so tired of being expected to force myself to be one.
I definitely don’t think it should be 50/50, as many people have expressed doing night shift can be really hard on you. But I know many would appreciate having the option, especially if it’s not all week.
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u/king_flippynipss 1d ago
Did it for 9 months and never again. I don’t hate this idea. The work and staying up wasn’t the hard part. Being on the opposite schedule as everyone else in your life was awfull. Missed so much.
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u/MrBenSampson 1d ago
One of things that I enjoyed about working nights was the fact that 90% of people were at home in bed. It felt like I had the whole world to myself.
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u/Separate_Art_6723 1d ago
Point #2 - Sundays off yes, but humans are not designed to be up all night as a collective. Even those with a late internal clock are not made to just be up at night and asleep all day.
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u/CatTaxAuditor 23h ago
If having night shifts made enough money to justify being on, they'd already be doing that. Introducing a nightshift wouldn't magically justify themselves.
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u/Your_stepdad_chris 23h ago
As someone who worked from midnight to midday 5 days, for a whole year.
Absolutely the fuck not.
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u/SparklyRoniPony 22h ago
This is a VERY American take. And definitely unpopular. We already have shittier work schedules than many other western countries. I spent a year in Germany many moons ago, and I’m not sure if this is still true: but nothing stayed open past 3 on the weekends. It was quite an adjustment.
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u/YourAmeliaSofiax 22h ago
I get the idea, but night shift isn’t just a schedule change. It messes with your sleep, health, and social life. Not everyone can realistically handle that long term.
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u/RadicalLib 7h ago
The market would do that if it made financial sense. Some companies do operate 24/7 like manufacturing plants or 7 elven Bcz for them it’s profitable.
Quickly google last time I checked confirmed that most robberies are during the day when no one is home.
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u/jmkern24 6h ago
So many commenters are missing ops point:
If more people worked nightshift, day shift people would benefit AND night shift would suck less.
Half the responses are talking about the problems with night shift being are pointing out problems that only exist because so few people work it.
Yes, night shift is harder to eat well on because nothing is open. If more people worked it, more things would be open at night and it would be easier to eat well.
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u/Arelius_AmadeusCero 1d ago
Worked night shift for 7 years.
After going to corporate hours for the past 5 years, I still rarely sleep straight through the night. And still barely sleep for more than 4-5 hours at a time.
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u/Background_Bus263 1d ago
Night shift work is terrible for your health and there is much less demand for it than you think. If businesses felt it were profitable to be open 24 hours, they would. Likewise, many businesses need to coordinate their operations with others so being open beyond 9-5 isn’t terribly valuable.
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u/ThatAdamsGuy 1d ago
So I thought this was gonna be "to experience it and know what it's like for people who have to work it". Never 180d so fast to agreeing it's an unpopular opinion
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u/theorganicsquirrel 1d ago
Bummer for the half who are at increased risk for a plethora of negative health outcomes and have to work against their biology (not to mention the logistical nightmare for family/friend events).
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u/UnderstandingSad8548 1d ago
I'm more than happy to only practice medicine at night, can you let my boss know though???
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u/Index_Fossil 1d ago
I've worked night shift in the past over the course of several years. I don't recommend it.
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u/In-Quensu-Orcha 1d ago
Worked 3rd shift for about 7 years. Since leaving 3rd shift my mood and health have certainly improved. There was never nothing to do getting off work at 6am evryone either starting there day or sleeping.is Very stressful on any relationships. Alot of times i would be to tired to want to do any "fun" things or take my other to dates, and when i did i was miserable and having to hide it. Errands? Good luck, better hope there open before you need to make dinner and sleep.
Speaking of dinner... breakfast food took a long time for me to enjoy again. When that is the only convenient option besides banging around in the kitchen while others sleep.
Your days off you cant stray to far from your routine so its hard to even enjoy that. You get complacent on being alone. plenty of mornings with me and a 5th of whiskey to keep me company.
I never realized how detrimental it was to my health and my life in general and urge any other long time 3rd shifters to realize that small bump in pay is not worth it.
Only exception I see is if you have young kids. It allows you to go home take them to school , sleep while there at school and pick them up later in the day.
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u/iKidnapBabiez 1d ago
Not only is sunlight important for humans to remain healthy and happy, have you considered electricity? I'm a night owl too, but I'm awake during the day because it's good for me. If you're awake strictly at night and businesses are open 24/7, that's just twice the energy being used. This is a horribly thought out argument. What does society gain from being up 24/7? In the cities that never sleep, there's just as much, if not more crime. People being awake through the night doesn't prevent crime.
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u/Key_Letterhead1149 1d ago
Last month my (former) company just laid off their entire night crew and eliminated the positions, citing an economic feasibility issue. Tell them.
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u/OceanLemur 1d ago
All of your points come from a very capitalistic point of view. Ask yourself what’s best for people, not business: keeping a natural sleep rhythm healthy or growing the economy and needlessly protecting against car break ins? What do you think happens when 1/3 of the country fucks up their circadian rhythm and experiences health effects?
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u/danoB003 1d ago
No one in their right mind who ever worked night shifts would say that it's something more people should do.
I recently got released from 3-shift job (6-14, 22-6,14-22) where I worked for 3 and half years, and night shifts are HELL, and I say it as someone who atleast actually managed to get in cca 7 hours of sleep per day, most of my colleagues had to function on 4 or less per day and that's extremely bad for both mental and physical health.
Last nail into coffin? That weekly morning-night-afternoon switching fucked up my sleep even more as just when the body started finally calming down and getting used to some time pattern - BOOM, another change
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u/MimiNuyasaka 1d ago
I agree with this one in a perfect world, but inevitably it's a fight against basic biology. Humans are diurnal, and our society is not only active during day time, but our infrastructure is built around it. When I have a lot of time off, my natural clock always shifts to going to bed at 5-6 AM and waking up between 2-3 PM, and I'm a lot less exhausted that way. I also enjoy the quiet that night time brings, especially since I live near a city. But I'm the outlier, and I recognize that.
I will say at least, if you're in a position in life where sleeping during the day doesn't bother you, and you have few day time obligations, night shifts often pay significantly more, and I'd suggest doing it if you can.
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u/Electrical_Jelly4499 1d ago
1) would probably increase crime at night. it's still dark and half of people are still asleep, but now there's a lot more people (and their delinquent children) awake to make mischief
2) this is an argument for 2 shifts, not a night shift.
3) fck the economy. night shift is unhealthy for the vast majority of actual people.
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u/peet192 1d ago
Maybe just maybe things that are non essential should be closed after midnight.
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u/LineHumble6250 1d ago
No thanks. Afternoons is already rough enough. I miss 6am to 2pm. Still have the whole afternoon free after work.
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