If your husband works night shifts, it can be tough to adjust. It can be hard to spend time together during the day when he’s sleeping, and you may find yourself feeling lonely during that time too.

Also, he must be feeling isolated when he can’t contact you during his night shifts because you’re probably fast asleep. Plus, he can’t see you during the day either, because he’s too exhausted and needs to use that time to sleep and recharge before a new night shift. So how can such a relationship work? And is it possible to make your marriage survive such a difficult phase in your life?

Yes, the good news is that with a little effort, and by applying the steps listed below in this article you can hopefully make it work. So read more.

How to deal with having a husband that works night shifts?

1- Be more understanding and don’t blame him for it:

First, if your husband works night shifts, try to be understanding. He’s doing what he needs to do to support the family, and that’s not easy.

You might feel like you’re always trekking through life alone and that he’s never around when you need him the most. It’s important to be compassionate and understanding during these times. Remember that he’s doing what he thinks is best for his family.

He’s trying to provide for you and give you the life that he knows you deserve. So be loving and patient with him. He needs your support just as much as you need his. Remember that you’ll be a lot more unhappy if he was unemployed. So be grateful and do your best to cheer him up and show support.

2- Make the best use of your free time during the day:

Second, take advantage of the time when he’s asleep to get things done around the house or take care of the kids unless you have a job too. It can be helpful to have a set schedule so you know what needs to be done when he’s unavailable.

If you make sure to have plenty of activities to keep you occupied when he’s asleep, then you will be organized enough to be able to spend every waking moment he gets with him, when he’s not at work. So think of joining a gym or taking up a new hobby, rather than wait on him to wake up all day every day, especially if you sleep during the night.

The activity you choose could be anything just as long as you make sure to be there during the time that your husband gets home and before he goes to sleep. And, again try to be present during the time he wakes up and before he starts getting ready for his night shift again.

Maybe if the two of you have enough time you can eat together, watch an episode from your favorite program, or go somewhere together and back quickly. This could mean he gets less sleep on some days, but we’re pretty sure he values spending quality time with you just as much as he values sleeping after a long and exhausting night shift.

3- Adopt the same sleep schedule as him:

If you have no kids, no duties, and no tasks to attend to while he’s asleep during the day; then why not try and match his sleep schedule?! Try to maintain a regular sleep schedule that matches his; by sleeping during the day and staying up at night.

This will help you to be awake when your husband is at work, especially if his work grants him a lot of free time to make phone calls or texts. This way you can help him get through his night shift by keeping him company and discussing different topics and subjects wherever he gets the chance.

Once he comes home you would’ve both not slept all night, so you can have breakfast together, watch one episode of a program you like, and head to bed hand-in-hand. This way, you would have the same sleep schedule and can also sleep in each other’s arms during the day.

If you can afford to do something like this then it will help you stay in communication with your spouse while he’s awake, unless his job is very demanding and he can’t text or call at work. In this case, sleeping at night would probably be better for you.

But, if you do talk during his night shift in some way then you can check in with each other throughout the night and stay up-to-date on how he’s feeling and what he’s going through his mind.

Maybe he will be able to open up to you about wanting to find a new job if this is permanent or if this is just temporary in his current job; then he can probably use your support to help him get through it. If you can find ways to connect despite the night shifts, you’ll be able to make your marriage survive this period of time.

4- Make the most out of your weekends:

If your husband has night shifts then a smart thing to do to help him cope with such a difficult job would be to make the most out of your weekends. So make sure to spend quality time together whenever he gets to come home for an extended period of time. Whether it’s planning a movie night at home or in the cinema or going out for dinner, it’s important to connect on a personal level.

It’s not always easy, but you’ll find that being flexible and making time for each other, when you can, is the best way to recharge and stay connected as a couple. It’s also the best way to deal with having a husband who works night shifts.

Whatever you do, make sure that you take care of yourself so that you can be in a good place mentally and emotionally too, in order to help keep your husband optimistic and positive about it all. In the end, remember that having an unemployed husband causes way more damage to a marriage than night shifts so try to find the silver lining in this situation.