Security Guard Tips: 10 Ways to Stay Awake During the Graveyard Shift

I’ve worked a graveyard shift or two in my day, and I know just how much of a drain it can be. You’re not just exhausted that night. If you don’t handle it right, it can throw off your schedule even when you’re off the clock, leaving you without the energy to spend time with friends and family.

Giving officers the right tools, such as security dispatch software and a guard management app with lone worker protection, is a great start. But here are 10 tips to stay alert and awake during your next night shift without letting it take over your life, plus guidance for supervisors who manage overnight teams.

Why the Graveyard Shift Is So Hard

Your body runs on an internal clock that is tuned to daylight. It makes you alert during the day and sleepy at night, and alertness usually hits its lowest point in the early morning hours before dawn, right in the middle of a typical graveyard shift. Working overnight means fighting that clock, and sleeping during the day means fighting daylight, noise and a world that expects you to be awake.

For security officers, the stakes are higher than for most night workers. A drowsy officer can miss a checkpoint, overlook an incident or respond slowly in an emergency. That is why staying alert is both a personal health issue and a core part of delivering quality security service.

10 Ways to Stay Awake During the Graveyard Shift

1. Eat Right and Exercise

No matter what you do, working the night shift puts some stress on your body. It is nearly impossible to overhaul your schedule without losing some sleep and having your body protest the change, so don’t magnify that stress by also treating your body poorly. Healthy eating and exercise go a long way. As I put it on our podcast, “Eating and being in shape, your body can really take the less hours of sleep.”

2. Get on the Schedule Ahead of Time

Don’t let your first night shift also be the first night you spend awake. That’s a recipe for disaster. Try to stay up as late as possible a couple of nights before, then sleep through most of the day so you wake up for your graveyard shift feeling refreshed and ready to go.

3. Hydrate and Snack

Bring a big water bottle and drink water throughout your shift. It’s hard enough to function well without a lot of sleep, so don’t compound the problem by also being dehydrated. Small, healthy snacks throughout the night can also help you stay alert, while heavy meals in the middle of the night tend to make you sleepy.

4. Caffeinate Responsibly

Everyone has a different attitude toward caffeine. My co-host Johnny says he couldn’t operate without it on a night shift, while I only kept some for the drive home in case I felt myself getting dangerously tired. Whatever your approach, avoid caffeine near the end of your shift so it doesn’t keep you from falling asleep when you get home. Caffeine can be part of your routine, but don’t depend on it to keep you awake.

5. Stay Safe on the Drive Home

The most dangerous time is often the drive home after your shift. Don’t take unnecessary risks. Pull over and nap if you need to. I was once so tired that, without even realizing it, I ran three straight red lights early one morning. Fatigue can hit before you notice it, so be especially careful, and take a taxi or get a ride if necessary.

6. Deal With the Light

Your body is conditioned to treat sunlight as a signal to be awake. Get good blackout shades for your bedroom so you can sleep during the day. Keep sunglasses handy for the early morning sun on the drive home too, since bright light on the way home makes it harder to fall asleep.

7. Build Relationships

One of the best ways to make the graveyard shift more tolerable is to enjoy working with the people around you. A security guard app keeps you connected with supervisors and coworkers throughout the night and improves response times when something happens. Checking in with your team, sharing a laugh and looking out for each other makes the night go by much faster.

8. Stay Active

Ideally, you will be assigned a graveyard shift that gives you a steady amount to do throughout the night. Assigning an officer to sit still and watch a property for eight hours is almost guaranteed to end with a sleeping guard. Regular patrols and checkpoints from a guard tour system keep you moving and engaged. If you don’t have anything assigned, find small tasks that keep your mind active.

9. Commit to Your Schedule

Don’t sacrifice your sleep just because the rest of the world expects you to be up during the day. Avoid making lunch plans or committing to something at 3 p.m. just because everyone else is awake then. You can still spend time with your kids or friends around breakfast and right before your shift starts.

10. Realize It’s Not All Bad

I honestly enjoyed the graveyard shift once I got used to it. You have the whole day free, the early morning sunrise is beautiful, and it gets much easier once you settle into the right schedule. If you still struggle to sleep or stay alert after a few weeks on nights, talk to your doctor, since ongoing sleep problems are worth taking seriously.

A Sample Graveyard Shift Routine

Every schedule is different, but this example for a typical overnight shift shows how the tips above fit together. Adjust the timing to match your own start and end times.

When	What to do
Afternoon, before your shift	Wake up after a full block of sleep, eat a balanced meal and get some exercise or time outside.
Start of shift	Hydrate, review post orders and check in with your supervisor or dispatch.
Middle of the night	Stay on the move with patrols, checkpoints and site tasks during the hours when alertness dips most.
Last few hours	Switch to water, skip the caffeine and keep eating light, healthy snacks.
Drive home	Wear sunglasses, stay alert and pull over or get a ride if you feel drowsy.
Morning	Wind down quickly, keep your bedroom dark and quiet and sleep in one long block.

For Supervisors: How to Keep Night Shift Officers Alert and Safe

Officers can do a lot on their own, but the way a night shift is scheduled and supported matters just as much. Security companies that manage overnight teams well see fewer missed patrols, fewer incidents and lower turnover. TrackTik, the security workforce management platform from Trackforce, gives supervisors the tools to make that happen.

• Give every post a purpose. Build guard tours with checkpoints and site tasks, and use TrackTik mobile patrol to plan routes that keep patrol officers moving through the night.
• Protect officers who work alone. TrackTik people management includes lone worker check-ins and emergency alerts, so no officer goes silent overnight without someone noticing. Learn more about guard tour tracking and lone worker protection.
• Watch hours and overtime. Back-to-back overnight shifts lead to exhaustion. TrackTik business administration helps you spot overtime before it happens and match rested, qualified officers to open shifts.
• Keep eyes on the whole operation. TrackTik Command Center brings alarms, video and dispatch into one view, so night supervisors can support officers across every site.
• Make reporting fast and easy. Tired officers write better reports when the process is simple. TrackTik incident reporting guides them step by step and captures photo, video and GPS evidence automatically.
• Invest in safety and engagement. Night shifts can be isolating. Review these best practices for keeping security guards safe and these strategies to retain your security officers. Burnout is also a common reason security guards no-call, no-show.

Want to see how TrackTik supports officers and supervisors on every shift? Book a TrackTik demo.