Shift work, especially midnight shifts, is hard and disrupts normal sleep patterns. It's hard to stay up with the family on days off. "Graveyard" officers are vulnerable to abuse of alcohol and sedatives to get sleep and caffeine and over-the-counter stimulants to stay awake. In some communities, "graveyard" shift is exciting because many arrests are made at this time, but in low-crime communities staying awake between 2 and 6 am can be an agonizing effort.

Swing watch can also be hard on family life. Earl worked swings, and his family was asleep when he got home at 1 am. He felt lonely coming into a dark, quiet house and needed something to do besides drinking and watching old movies on TV He and his wife worked out a routine. When he arrives home, all the lights are on, so the house looks welcoming. His wife leaves him a news-filled note on the computer. He looks in on his children, puts out the garbage, throws in a load of wash if needed, walks the dog, and makes his kids' school lunches. By the time he's finished, he's ready for sleep. Shifting ears and contributing to domestic tasks help him feel more like a member of the family than a boarder who pays the bills.

Sleep deprivation takes its toll on work performance, even of the safety-conscious officer. It takes an additional toll on the family members who have the Herculean task of keeping the kids quiet so that mum or dad can sleep during the day. Couples without children find themselves spending more time with friends than they do with each other, and they may sleep alone more often than they did when they were single. Single parents may have to resort to recruiting friends and family to help out. The biggest burden falls on those families who are trying to live with a "brutal" schedule of rotating shifts.

Shift work was the hardest adjustment Sara and Randy had to make when they were married - it required them to be more flexible and creative than they were before. Over the years, they have discovered many hidden benefits. They know shift work has allowed Randy to spend a lot more time with his kids than many of his friends who work from nine to five.

Randy and Sara have learned creative ways to celebrate festivals. While they both still long to celebrate New Year's Eve together, they settle for a special breakfast instead. They've found their children to be creative planners who love making up new "traditions" that are unique to their family. The children enjoy exploring their family heritage for new ideas about holiday rituals.

(To be continued in next issue)

Reference

(C) Copyright # Kirschman E. (1997) # I Love a Cop: What Police Families Need to Know. The Guilford Press.

Seek advice and help from the Psychological Services Group:

PHQ, Hong Kong Island and Marine: 2866-6206 (5/F, 111 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay); Kowloon and the New Territories: 2735-3739 (22/F, Ocean Building, 80 Shanghai Street, Kowloon). PEN: psg@police.gov.hk