Recently I've been through a few jobs (struggling to find one I like since I left my job as an IT Tech), hours as follows:

Supermarket - If I was on Bakery, I'd start at 5:30am, work through until 3pm. If I was on Nightfill, I'd work either 6pm-12am or 9pm-3am. Not long ago I actually mixed those shifts together as they were short on staff, working 5:30am-3pm then 6pm-3am...home for 2 hours sleep then back in to do 5:30am-3pm. Absolute nightmare!

Pub - Usually split shifts. 9am-3pm, go home, come back and work 6pm-Close (which could be as late as 5am). Then back in at 9am. Being a barman was awesome though! Me and my boss once had 2 incredibly stunning women in the pub until 5am! They got there at 8pm! They just kept drinking and talking, so we called Lock In and the drinks just rolled on. I had to sleep behind the bar as I got too drunk to drive home:P

Factory (where I am now) - 2pm-12am. Not the latest shift in the world, but I'm not really enjoying the late hours. My entire social life takes place when mates/girls finish work (usually around 5-5:30pm). When they're all out of work and socialising, I'm just settling into the rest of my 10-hour shift.

I'm much more of a night owl than an early bird, but as far as my life is concerned, early mornings are definitely better. I've just applied for a job which will be 6am-2:30pm...and I'm hoping I get it, so I can start a bi-modal sleep cycle again (like I always used too).

I had a job where everyone was switched to mandatory night shift permanently (10pm - 6am), and a month later I had a nervous breakdown. Couldn't sleep during the day because of constant landscapers outside, and at night I naturally wanted to sleep. We all flipped out. It was terrible.

Ugh. Never again. Ever. I can do afternoon shifts, evening shifts, but not overnight.

To successfully survive night shifts, you have to train your mind to get used to it. I assure you will not take a week to do this. It'll take some months. And there is one thing to accept from anyone experienced with the nightshift that you ask - You are never going to be fully energized.

Your room has to always be darker than the other rooms. No matter what, you can't train your mind to sleep in a sun lit room.

Also, don't sleep as soon as you get home, unless you are REALLY tired. Going around 3pm is best. The maddening trap people who are not used to nights, get thrown into, is trying to sleep all day and being discouraged because you have no free time for yourself due to sacrificing it all for sleep.

At work, if your lunches/breaks permit it, take a nap. I take 40 minute naps(10 minutes too long but they dont care). The body comes first in night jobs way more than day jobs - sometimes I get on the guys who try to work the WHOLE SHIFT without a lunch break! The product is not going anywhere, but you will if you don't rest. Get your rest as much as you can. Don't overdo it on the job, know your limits and slow down.

Coffee is good. People who supply coffee though get stingy, so just buy your own. (I don't drink coffee)
-Avoid energy drinks. I don't give a damn what the advertisemant says, you going to crash when it wears off, and you will crash hard. And for you naturally hyper people, like myself, this is truly something to avoid lol. Coke/Pepsi can suffice, you don't crash with these.

Now this next piece of advice is just something I do personally. Running a fan usually helps you sleep. The humming sound and the wind seems to have a sleep inducing effect. And best of all it muffles out all other sounds.

I would say avoid overtime at all costs, but not all night jobs have this luxury... Cause the longer you work, the harder the next night will be..

Terra Nova

Good advice in general but not everyone has the luxury of sleeping during working hours while maintaining the job.

While everyone at my job have a different experience during working nights in a way, we all more or less agree that it feels wrong. Sort of a "void in your stomach" kind of thing.