I’m currently working a 7p to 7A shift, 7 on, 7 off… Which means I have to sleep in the middle of the day. The problem I have, is that my bedroom windows are pointed towards the eastern sky. So, when I’m going to sleep, the sun is shining right onto my bed. I’ve been using a blackout mask to sleep so far; while it helps it doesn’t go far enough. At points of the day the sun shines bright enough through the half window that I can feel it and wakes me up.
So, I’m looking for an effective way to darken the room. I have a window facing the eastern sky that is a window with an arch above it. I want a way to darken it completely; but with the ability to open (so no painting the windows).
The pay differential is worth me paying someone to do this for me, I live in the Atlanta, GA metro area, so if someone knows a company who can do for me, it would be worth my while…
Blackout curtains are cheap and widely available. I was looking at them at WalMart just yesterday. The key to having them work well is to have them hanging very close to the wall, so buy the cheap, low-profile rods to hang them from.
I can’t do better than agree with the above posts that say buy some easy to obtain blackout curtains, or foil & duct tape. The 2nd choice being uglier, but cheaper and more effective.
I just came in here to ask what do you do for your job?
The 12-hour, 7-on, 7-off schedule sounds like the schedules I worked as a roughneck back in the day in Oklahoma and Texas. Since you’re said you’re from Atlanta I doubt that’s the case. (I’m in Atlanta are now too, BTW… Roswell/Alpharetta)
When I owned an interior store I would get several requests per year for blackout window coverings. Sometimes I would use a blackout shade built into a box that overlapped it on all 4 sides with the inside of the box painted black. It did a good job.
I’ve worked nights and 3rd shift many times, and I think blackout curtains suck. So does aluminum foil and gaff tape (stage hands use gaff tape, not duct tape).
My method is to go to the hardware store and get the bubble wrap mylar that is sold as water heater insulation. I cut it larger than the window and then gaff tape the shit outta it to the wall. No light bleed, no heat = a good day’s sleep.
Why darken the whole room (which will never get really dark in the daytime anyway.) I use an eyeshadeand foam rubber earplugs. Like being in the womb, only quieter.
Another vote for foil - I use plain old “Scotch” tape (which can be a mess to remove witout a razor scraper).
It blocks the light 100% and cools the room as well.
Used by college students before dorms all became air conditioned.
I have cellular blinds with a silver backing set inside the windows and I then have a thick curtain that goes across the window. It’s very dark and the blinds take up very little space when retracted.
We have some decently thick blackout curtains from Target, and hang them with tension rods so they sit inside the window frames and block more light than hanging them from above like traditional curtain rods. It won’t get the room nighttime dark, but it works very very well.
With a dome over the window, you’ll have to install the hardware so they sit outside the widest part of the window, and above the top of the dome. Then put up blackout curtains.
Your dome will now look like a rectangle, but at least you will be able to sleep. Make sure you eat before you go to bed and keep the room cool.
Also, don’t try to go home and jump right into bed. You wouldn’t do that if you got out at 5pm. Allow a few hours to wind down.
I like something like Snowboarder Bo’s idea for the arch, then blinds and heavy duty blackout curtains for the regular portion of the window, so you can open the window if you want.
I use this Tempur-Pedic Eye Mask. It’s the best one I’ve found. By far. Essentially no light leakage.
Yeah, me too (or maybe I should ask your age?) I spent 3 years doing 7pm-7am shifts, 4 on, 4 off, at a homeless hostel. No amount of light would keep me awake when I got home - I’d wind down for an hour or so and then crash out and sleep like a baby. I’d revert back to being a ‘day walker’ on the 4 off by the simple expedient of forcing myself to stay awake after the last night shift and going to bed at a more ‘normal’ time. Noise would sometimes disturb me - if the fortnightly garbage collection coincided with a sleep day then that would wake me up.
People have different responses to night shift. I find it very difficult to sleep during the day. On a 7pm - 7am shift I’d be lucky to get three hours sleep when I get home then maybe another hour in the afternoon. There are others like me at work. It is purely psychological, if I know I don’t have to work then I have no trouble having an afternoon nap for a couple of hours. Part of the problem for me is also that I don’t have a set night shift pattern. In a month I might have three weeks of nights and one week of days or I might alternate weeks of days and weeks of nights. In a night shift week I might only be actually working two of the nights and be on call for the other two. As it’s relatively rare to get called in, and it’s usually for a shorter than normal shift, I tend to just treat an on call night like a day off.
(I’m in Atlanta are now too, BTW… Roswell/Alpharetta)