Abstract
Night shift duties are an essential part of nursing services, but they may create serious psychological, physical, professional, and social challenges for nurses. The present study aimed to explore the impact of night shift duties on nurses’ stress, fatigue, job satisfaction, work-life balance, and coping strategies. A qualitative research approach was used to understand the lived experiences of nurses working night shifts. Data were collected through participants’ responses and analyzed thematically to identify major patterns emerging from their experiences. The findings revealed five major themes: psychological and emotional stress, physical fatigue and sleep disturbance, job satisfaction challenges, work-life imbalance, and coping strategies and adaptation. Participants reported that night duties increased mental pressure, emotional exhaustion, tiredness, disturbed sleep, reduced job satisfaction, and difficulty maintaining family and social responsibilities. However, nurses also used coping strategies such as peer support, spiritual practices, caffeine consumption, and adjusted sleep routines to manage night shift demands. The study was guided by the Job Demands–Resources Model, which explains how increased job demands such as workload and night duty pressure can affect nurses’ well-being, while supportive resources may reduce negative outcomes. The study concludes that night shift duty significantly affects nurses’ psychological well-being, physical health, job satisfaction, and work-life balance. Therefore, hospital administration should improve staffing levels, provide rest facilities, offer psychological support, and develop fair shift schedules to promote nurses’ health and quality of patient care.