Our life runs anti-clockwise. It is all upside down,” a fellow journalist had once said while describing the insidious problems of night shifts in newspaper houses.
The journalist, then in his mid-fifties, had already experienced gruelling shifts for 28 years and would often complain of ailing health and turbulence on the home front. But his story is not something new. It has been told and retold by many others over the years with a few changes in facts and figures. In fact, it is not only newsmen who experience the long nights in office. There are many professions which demand late shifts and for some, like policemen, drivers and some vendors, it is even more difficult as they have outdoor duties.
Welcome to the dark world where convention is rejected. When the rest of the world sleeps, the dark knights respond to call of duty. They are fighters and survivors and never flinch at adversities. “Thou shalt rise,” was an oft-uttered line by a veteran journalist before the night fight would start.
Talking about the fight, Dominic Nongkseh is a brave soldier when it comes to night vigilance. The 35-year-old man has been working as a member of the ATM cash loading and maintenance team for the past two years and says “I love my job”.
“This is the first job I really love doing. Though at times I get calls at odd hours, I really don’t mind because our timing is flexible. There are days I have free time, days I don’t. I hope they (my family and friends who are always concerned) understand someday,” says the self-proclaimed night owl. Nongkseh, who started his career in a call centre in Delhi that took a toll on his health, says besides the odd time, the job he does is risky.
“But my general managers are really helpful. Even late at night if we call them for help, they are quick to respond and it makes our work easier. Problems get fixed and we all go home. It’s team work,” he says.
A 26-year-old single mother of two children, who works as a night guard in the city, does not mind the job timing as it gives her freedom. “All it takes is to manage your time properly,” she says.
The young woman takes her job seriously and reaches office two hours before the shift starts. The job is exhausting and sometimes makes one drowsy but “my ears are always alert”. Her relatives in Shillong take care of the children while she is out. After coming home in the morning, she refreshes herself with a hot cuppa and does household chores before hitting the bed.
However, she does not get any drop or pickup from home and has to arrange for vehicle herself. “I reserve a taxi. I know the driver. I am also aware of the rising crimes against women but I have been doing this job for years now and so I feel safe. Jobs are scarce these days and I hardly have an option,” she tells Sunday Shillong on phone as she manages time while eating her home-made dinner in the office canteen before heading for the eight-hour duty.
A young nurse in a city hospital says she was prepared for all the tough work the moment she joined a nursing school. Her 12-hour night shift has a recess of one hour. “And at times a 10-15-minute power nap keeps me going,” she says.
After an 11-year career, the nurse says she does not feel stressed because she has adapted the art of readjusting body clocks as shifts keep changing.
For a 31-year-old doctor in the city, it is all about enjoying the work. “I work on night shift once or twice a week but get calls every alternate day. But this is the career that I have chosen and it is about serving the society,” smiles the knight, all set for the battle in his armour, the laboratory coat. Being a doctor, he is aware of the impact of a tough work timings on health and so takes care not to yield to the pressure.
“Night shifts may come with long periods of inactivity and it can be difficult to remain alert and focused while your body is adjusting to the new schedule. Sleep deprivation has an impact on our performance and we apply different mechanisms in order to cope with fatigue. Lack of sleep can strongly impair human functioning and lead to memory loss, attention deficit, negative mood changes etc,” he points out the darker side.
“Despite all drawbacks I love night shifts as I cannot get up in the morning. So a normal job would have been a bad idea for me,” says a 27-year-old journalist working with a local newspaper.
Money’s the elixir
For those working in the open at night, circumstances can be challenging and who know it better than Emon Pyngrope and her friends who run night vends at Police Bazaar. “Trust me it is a tough job and not for the weak-hearted. I am running my vend for the last five years and have witnessed several untoward circumstances,” says Pyngrope, a mother of six children, as she packs up for the night.
Augustine Shabong and Folliene Wahlang, the vendor couple, starts business at 5.30pm and calls it a night at 2am. “But sometimes there are many customers and we cannot leave until the stock is over,” says Shabong.
However, the vendor says there are many problems for them at night, the most important being raids by the men from the municipality board. “Also, there are drunkards at night and we have to be on our guard. Besides, there is the unpredictable weather here and you never know when rain and storm will come and spoil everything,” says Wahlang with a helpless stare in her eyes.
Things sometimes might get worse like in the case of a non-tribal woman vendor who was murdered last year on her way back home for a paltry Rs 3,000. But poverty is a bigger problem than security and this prompts many like Blerman Lyngkhoiand Marylyne Lyngkhoi to confront whatever risks come their way. “There is no other work,” says 32-year-old Blerman, who is running his night business for the last five years.
“I fear poverty. There is high rate of unemployment in the state,” 24-year-old Jarlinus Maiong, who is a security guard at Doordarshan Kendra Shillong, does a reality check.
Rubel Dey, who works as a driver with a private company in the city, says he did not imagine the extent of difficulty in doing the 10-hour night shift. “It is hectic but I want to continue as I have gotten used to it. Moreover, driving around the city at night is different. There is no traffic and it feels so refreshingly different,” says the undaunted 25-year-old.
Health is wealth
Doing night shifts means challenging the biological clock. Besides fatigue and lack of concentration, there are other ailments, like indigestion, high blood pressure, weight loss and cardio problems, which follow years of working at night.
“There are multiple ways in which night shift affects us, be it physically or mentally. Some of the physical effects include drowsiness, headache, cough, common cold as our immunity takes a hit from all the sleep-deprived nights,” says a 28-year-old nurse who gets 14-hour shifts at night.
For policemen, the work is the toughest as they have to be vigil all through the night. It is usually the junior officers who are on duty at odd hours. An officer says sleep problems and other health hazards are there but “it is the job that we have to do”.
The young doctor suggests adjustment in the time table when working night shifts and says “once a person develops a suitable routine, it can be a shift full of learning experience and opportunities”. However, he adds that no one routine works for all. “The right way is what works for you and what works for you might not work for everyone… Once you stick to a sleeping pattern and the same daily eating times you will begin to feel that night shifts are more natural and you will feel less tired during the night as your body clock adapts to the new routine,” advises the doctor.
For instance, Jejekkia R Marak, a security guard, says he can do with 2-3-hour sleep every morning after a night shift.
Similarly, ways to survive the nights also vary. While some bank on caffeine and cigarettes to keep the eyelids batting others follow healthier means like stretching, walking and light exercises.
Unsocial life
Night warriors often complain that they do not have a social life. “We turn into sociopaths. Every time we get time we just want to sleep to take rest instead of socialising with friends and family. My wife chides me for this but who cares. I have to stay fresh for another journey,” says a night bus driver in the city.
The senior police officer smiles when asked about social life. “Even if we are not on night duty our minds are active. You never know when a call comes and we have to run,” he says and admits that stress is a common problem among his subordinates.
“My social life is practically non-existent. I work during the day, and then have a night shift the next day, I’m too tired to even consider going out during the little time I get off my duties. It makes you frustrated with how things are going and you begin wondering if that certain job is really what you want to be doing for the rest of your life,” says the 28-year-old nurse and adds that her family is concerned.
These night workers are indomitable and take their work as a challenge. However, years of an upside down life make the challenge tougher and there is always an urge to break free. “I want a normal life because I am a wife and mother. When I was fresh out of college, night shifts were fun with friends. Now it’s time to shift gear and run clockwise,” says a 39-year-old journalist turned entrepreneur.
(Contributed by Heather C
Phanwar, Jasmine L Chyne, Olivia L Mawlong, Andre Kongri, Richa
Kharshandi, Willie G Suting & NM)
