My Bedtime Was Nine in the Morning
A fictional night-shift worker stops organizing mouth care around the clock on the wall and builds a routine around waking, eating and sleeping.
Morning meant something else
At nine in the morning the neighbourhood was starting work and I was trying to remember where I had put the blackout curtains. My last meal had been at four. The coffee cup in the car had been with me since midnight.
I kept telling myself to brush morning and night, then arguing internally about which one it was. On the worst days I came home, ate something while standing up and fell asleep before reaching the bathroom.
Use the routine I actually have
The American Dental Association recommends brushing twice daily with a soft brush and fluoride toothpaste. I needed to fit that into my waking and sleeping pattern rather than treat someone else's clock as the rule.[1]
I put brushing into the part of the morning before I sat down. The other session belonged after waking. Cleaning between my teeth needed its own dependable spot too, so I asked the hygienist to help me check the whole routine at my next visit.
I also wrote down the long coffee and the snacks that kept appearing through the shift. I wanted advice based on those hours, not a polite version of my eating habits that looked better on a form.
A small change before the curtains
The next morning I unpacked my food container, went to the bathroom and then pulled the curtains. It was not a remarkable achievement. I was still tired and had forgotten to buy bread.
But brushing no longer depended on feeling as though it was evening. My day ended when I went to sleep. The neighbours could have their morning.
Ravi