What it can feel like
Dragging through a shift, microsleeps on the drive home, snapping at partners, and never feeling truly caught up. Coffee and adrenaline carry you until they do not.
Why it happens
Shift work fights your body's clock, calls interrupt whatever sleep you get, and the "always ready" posture never fully shuts off. This is physiological, not a lack of toughness.
What can help
Sleep hygiene built around your schedule — blackout curtains, protected sleep windows, strategic naps — is real performance and safety work. If fatigue is constant, talk to a clinician; it can overlap with burnout and depression.