Working nights and staying awake...

So with my new schedule I have to work some nights...10pm to 6am.  Before weightloss surgery my goto food would be Mountain Dew (one of the reasons I got up to 300 pounds)!!  The sugar, the caffeine...kept me wired...as my blood sugar would rise and fall.  At my post (security guard), I can't listen to music, no video games, no reading...There are cameras everywhere and they review them.  I will bring some hot black tea with lemon, orange juice, Splenda, and a small amount of sugar.  To pass the time I think of complicated words and their meanings (obsequious, magnanimous).  Any ideas to pass the time and is there a food or drink that can help.  I don't want too much caffeine since I try and sleep right after work.  I also nibble on a B-Complex pill...Which has the same ingreadents as a 5 hour energy drink.  Thoughts??

Hey Bri,

Walking or sitting? If it were me a walking gig would help, trying to sit at one post for overnight could not be done! I like your word game! Seems like you will have to "go inside your head" in order to survive... I don't envy you.

Brian

I also work the night shift. Have for the last three years. Fortunately, it's a very active night otherwise it's quite difficult to keep motivated. The obvious answer is to get the proper sleep and nutrition. It is a struggle sometimes, especially if it's a slow night. Good luck to ya sir....

 Welcome to my world! LOL

I work nights and I believe it was the way my weight went up... eating crappy food choices and drinking lots of caffine to keep going.  I am a 911 dispatch supervisor for night shift for the municipality I work for.  We also supervise a small lockup facility (City Jail).  I know I have really been working at making better food choices and cut my caffine down really low.  I am still pre-op, so I am struggling with the changes, but it is coming along... slowly.

My advise would be take good vitamins and try to establish a good sleeping pattern... the sleep is the toughest, but you really need to set a regular schedule to help.