Night shift survival tips from someone who's been doing it for 5 years

Saw a few posts from people starting nights for the first time so figured I'd share what's kept me functional. ER nurse, 5 years on nights. It doesn't get easy but it gets more manageable.

Sleep:

• Blackout curtains are mandatory. I use the ones from Amazon with suction cups. My room is a cave and it's beautiful.
• I keep the same sleep schedule on my days off. I know some people flip back to days but it wrecks me. I just stay nocturnal.
• Melatonin 30 min before I want to sleep. Not the 10mg horse pills, just 0.5-1mg. Less is more with melatonin.

Food:

• I meal prep on my first day off. Nothing fancy, just protein, a grain, roasted vegetables. If I don't prep I end up eating vending machine garbage at 3am and then I feel like death.
• I eat my mid-shift meal around 2am. Eating a big meal after 4am makes me nauseous.

Staying organized on shift:

• Small notebook in my scrub pocket for running task lists. Anything not charted yet goes in there so I don't lose track during the chaos.
• Before shift change I record my handoff notes into Willow Voice instead of trying to remember everything at once. I walk through each patient out loud and glance at the transcript to make sure I'm not missing anything before report. Has saved me from a few oh crap I forgot to mention that moments.

Mental health:

• I work out AFTER my shift, not before. Post-shift gym helps me wind down and sleep.
• I stopped apologizing for being unavailable during the day. My friends and family know my schedule now. It took time but it's necessary.

Feel free to add your own tips. Night shifters gotta look out for each other.