Anyone who's worked it will know what I'm talking about. It's unhealthy to stay up all night and(try to)sleep during the day.
Graveyarders are at high risk for falling asleep at the wheel and usually have a lower immune system. This due to not getting enough rest. We tend to get an average of 2hrs of sleep less than normal people.
Also you have to fight against everything your body is telling you to go to sleep during daylight hours. Having a dark room is recommended and is helpful,but the neighbors mowing their lawn doesn't help.
Anybody have any helpful suggestions for graveyarders?

I worked the 'drunk' shift for years while, and think I used to go on 2 hrs of sleep a day. I had read, and can say from experience, that the effects on women working 3rd shift are the same as men, but also include high miscarriage rates.

Suggestions:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Establish a post-work routine that mentally 'winds you down'. Not housework, useful stuff because that gets you thinking about what needs to be done. More like, drinking a cup of herb tea and reading a boring book (try one on meditation ).
3. Do online banking, and pay bills over the internet/phone. One of the reasons I couldn't sleep was I would get home and realize that the mail that arrived while I was asleep yesterday were still waiting for me.

I could drone out the traffic, but barking dogs, lawn work and the phone were the 3 things that got to me the most.

Cover your bedroom windows with a single layer of aluminum foil. Trust me, it will be dark.

I am a night worker myself, and have found a personal answer to these problems that i will highlight below. These are solutions that work for me, no guarantees that they will translate to others.

My daily workout is always at the end of my shift, this helps unclutter the mind after a hard nights work, and helps regulate sleep patterns.
Eating times remain the same no matter if on day or night shift 'Breakfast' is after the workout (7-8am), then I sleep till 12pm, get up have a light snack as lunch and go about enjoying the afternoon. 4-5pm is dinner time, followed by bed for 4 hours good quality sleep, then its up and at work for 10pm. I do not eat during the night shift, merely take fluids. This is because we only do a max of 4 nights in a row in any given month, so my body clock does not adjust to full nocturnal efficiency.
My sleep pattern comes from the fact that i found, if i try and sleep 8 hours in one solid block, I wake at around noon, and spend the rest of the time restless drifting in and out of light sleep. This does nothing to recharge my batteries. By accepting midday consciousness, then later having a nice deep sleep in the early evening, I get my recommended volume of deep sleep, albeit staggered. Also its nice to get up to go to work, rather than get to 6am and think 'I have been up for 16 hours '

Keeping my eating patterns constant, well timed exercise, and emphasising quality of sleep all combine to make nightwork not only tolerable, but actualy my favourite shift pattern.

Try a white noise machine to drown out the noise or get some ear plugs. You can buy them from a home improvement center (Lowes, or Home Depot). Ones made of foam are the most comfortable. I have been working the midnight shift for a year now and i sleep as soon as I get home from work. Then wake up at 3pm and start my "day". Hope this helps you out.

Thanks,but there's no way I could sleep with ear plugs in. I like Cord's idea of sleeping late and getting up before work rather than the other. The problem is I can't get on a regular schedule with all that I have to do. Also sometimes I work a different shift on the weekends,it sucks,but it pays the bills. I will continue to look for a dayshift job that is atleast equal to this one.