Shift work sleep disorder

It's not exactly insomnia, which is the condition for people with normal working hours that can't sleep.

Shift work sleep disorder is the sleeping disorder people get when they work kooky hours like me.  I think I might be suffering from this.  At least my money is suffering.

I missed a Friday night because I felt like passing out right when I was supposed to go to work, around 9:30 p.m.  The thing is, I like to get my sleep between 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.  But many times, I stay up past 7 a.m.  The worst thing about staying up past 7 is that I can't go back to sleep and I end up staying awake well into the morning, sometimes the afternoon.  Once I pass out around noon, I don't wake up until its dark outside, which makes me feel backwards as a human.  So I try to reverse this problem by napping at night, but that only led to me waking up too early to stay up late at night, where I'm at right now.

I guess most people would be happy to be naturally waking up at 5:30 a.m.  Not me.  Ugh, there is nothing to do at this hour.  I'm usually unwinding, getting home from work, not just getting started.

I'm gonna take this event as a wake-up call (ha, get it?) to go see a doctor.  Maybe a little ambien after 7 could help me stop staying awake into the morning hours.  I really don't want to become dependent on drugs, though.  Hopefully I can quit stripping before this sleep cycle ruins me for life.