A Healthy Shift | The Shift Work Podcast
It doesn't have to be this way.
Welcome to A Healthy Shift | The Shift Work Podcast, the podcast helping shift workers thrive while changing how organisations think about people working in 24/7 environments.
Hosted by Roger Sutherland, Australia's Night Shift & Sleep Specialist, this is where evidence meets lived experience.
After more than 40 years of working rotating shifts with Victoria Police, followed by years studying nutrition, circadian biology, chrononutrition, sleep, human performance and women's health, Roger is on a mission to challenge the belief that fatigue, poor sleep, burnout and declining health are simply part of working shifts.
Because they don't have to be.
Whether you're a nurse, paramedic, police officer, firefighter, doctor, aged care worker, manufacturing employee, FIFO worker, miner, pilot, flight attendant, truck driver, dispatcher, or anyone working outside the traditional 9-to-5, this podcast will give you practical, evidence-based strategies to help you sleep better, improve your energy, optimise your health and perform at your best.
If you're a leader, manager, People & Culture professional, WHS specialist, or responsible for leading a 24/7 workforce, you'll discover a different way of thinking about shift work—one that focuses on building shift work capability from within through education, leadership and practical systems that create healthier people, stronger teams and higher-performing organisations.
Each episode explores topics including:
• Shift work
• Night shift
• Sleep after night shift
• Circadian rhythm
• Fatigue management
• Shift worker health
• Nutrition for shift workers
• Chrononutrition
• Recovery and resilience
• Women's health and shift work
• Leadership in 24/7 organisations
• Human performance
• Workplace wellbeing
• Fatigue risk management
• Building healthier, safer and higher-performing workplaces
This isn't another podcast offering generic health tips.
It's a podcast about changing the future of shift work.
Because healthier people create stronger teams.
Stronger teams build better organisations.
And it all starts by understanding how to work with biology, not against it.
It doesn't have to be this way.
Episodes
394 episodes
[397] - Your Body Isn't Working Against You... It's Trying To Protect You
Have you ever wondered why staying awake all night feels so much harder than staying awake during the day?It's not because you're weak.It's not because you're getting older.And it's not because your body is broken.Your bod...
[396]- Your host on Radio 3AW - Talk Back Radio 03-08-2026
Why Most Shift Workers Never Get Taught How to Do Shift Work Properly | Shift Work ChampionsDescriptionIn this week's Australia Overnight on 3AW with Tony McManus, Roger Sutherland discusses one of the biggest proble...
[395] - Five Words Every Shift Worker Has Heard
If you've worked shifts for more than a week, you've probably heard someone say:"You'll get used to it."But what if that's not actually true?In this episode I share why this simple phrase shaped the way I th...
[394] - If You Only Change 4 Things as a Shift Worker, Make Them These
If You Only Change 4 Things as a Shift Worker, Make Them TheseIf you're working night shift, rotating rosters or long hours and constantly feeling exhausted, this episode is for you.There is no shortage of advice for shift ...
[393] - Shift Work Fatigue: Why Most Organisations Get Shift Work Wrong (And How to Fix It)
Shift Work Fatigue: Why Most Organisations Get Shift Work Wrong (And How to Fix It)Episode 393 | A Healthy Shift PodcastFor decades we've accepted fatigue, poor sleep, burnout and declining health as simply part of...
[392] - Why Do I Wake Up After 4 Hours of Sleep After Night Shift?
Why do you wake up after only three or four hours of sleep after night shift, even when you’re completely exhausted?It’s one of the most frustrating problems night shift workers face.In this episode, Night Shift & Sleep Specia...
[391]- Your host on Radio 3AW - Talk Back Radio 20-07-2026
We pull apart the seductive idea of permanent daylight saving and explain why the first light of the morning is a non-negotiable part of healthy sleep and mood. Then we shift to the hidden crisis in 24/7 workplaces: shift workers are still expe...
[390] - What Should You Eat on Night Shift? The Best Way to Eat When Working Nights
What should you eat on night shift, and when should you eat when working nights?If you struggle with bloating, digestive problems, weight gain, low energy or cravings during night shift, the timing of your food may be part of the problem...
[389] - Should You Sleep Straight After Night Shift? The Best Way to Recover
Should you sleep straight after night shift, stay awake, or have a short sleep and get up?The answer depends on one important question: are you working another night shift, or have you just finished your final night shift?In this ...
[388] - How to Sleep After Night Shift: Why You're Exhausted But Can't Sleep
Why can’t you sleep after night shift, even when you’re completely exhausted?If you work night shift and struggle to fall asleep, stay asleep or get enough quality daytime sleep, this episode explains what is happening and what you can d...
[387] - Why Night Shift Makes You So Tired Even When You Sleep
I explain why night shift fatigue can stick around even after a decent sleep and why the real issue is often circadian disruption. I break down a simple four pillar system so you can reduce biological chaos and recover with less guesswork.<...
[386] - Why 24/7 Organisations Are Missing a Critical Piece of Fatigue Management
We challenge leaders to stop treating shift work as a roster problem and start treating it as a biology problem that drives safety, errors, and performance. We lay out why fatigue is an organisational risk and why training trusted Shift Work Ch...
[385] - Cabin Crew Health: How to Stay Healthy Through Long Haul Flights
Long haul cabin crew work is one of the most demanding forms of shift work. Crossing multiple time zones, disrupted sleep, irregular meal times, constant passenger interaction, and high-pressure safety responsibilities all place enormous strain...
[384]- Your host on Radio 3AW - Talk Back Radio 22-06-2026
Roger Sutherland returns from a Mediterranean cruise with fresh eyes on what keeps your energy stable and what quietly knocks it off course. We unpack jet lag like a body clock problem you can plan for, then pivot to a blunt chat about Victoria...
[383] - Psychological Health Is Now Law – What Every Victorian Shift Worker Must Know
We unpack Victoria’s new Psychological Health Regulations and explain how they turn fatigue, trauma exposure and roster design into legal duties for employers. We share practical controls, outline your rights to request reviews and show how cul...
[382] - Gym After Night Shift… Or Go Straight To Bed
After a night shift, there’s always the same question: do you push through a workout, or do you go home and sleep?In this episode, I break down why the “always train no matter what” mindset can backfire for shift workers, especially afte...
[381] - Why Every 24/7 Workplace Needs Shift Work Champions
Shift work doesn’t fall apart because people don’t care. Most of the time, it falls apart because the hardest moments happen when people are exhausted, understaffed, and just trying to get through the shift.In this episode, I talk to lea...
[380] - Should I be getting daylight after nightshift
The hardest part of night shift might not be the shift itself—it’s the sunrise on the drive home.A lot of shift workers hear “get morning sunlight” and assume more light is always better. But after a night shift, that same morning light ...
[379] - 7 days is all it will take, simple
Shift work can leave you feeling flat, wired, hungry, and foggy, even when you’re trying to do everything right. Most of the time, it’s not a motivation problem. It’s a timing problem.When your body clock can’t line up with your roster a...
[378] - The Human Behind the Mask
Some people can look calm, capable, and completely in control on shift… while quietly falling apart underneath it all.In this episode, I talk honestly about “the mask” many shift workers wear, and the toll it can take over time. This con...
[377]- Your host Guesting on Radio 4BC - Talk Back Radio 11-05-2026
Monday mornings can feel brutal, even when you don’t hate your job. In this episode, we break down why “Mondayitis” is more than just a bad attitude—it’s often a body clock problem.We explore how weekend sleep habits can throw your circa...
[376]- Your host on Radio 3AW - Talk Back Radio 11-05-2026
Night shift can feel like you’re doing everything right and still getting hit with cravings, brain fog, poor sleep, and weight gain.In this episode, we break down why that happens and what actually helps when you’re awake while your body...
[375] - I agree with you, your hormones are broken.
Shift work can make it feel like your body is working against you. You’re exhausted no matter how much you rest, your gut feels off, weight gain doesn’t make sense, and your cycle feels unpredictable.If you’ve ever thought “my hormones a...
[374] - If you work nights - You'll learn from this
Night shift takes a real toll, but it doesn’t have to control your energy, sleep, or recovery. In this episode, I share why I’m excited to be part of the free Global Night Shift Summit and what you can actually take away from it as a shift work...
[373] - The One and Done Solution for Shift Workers
Shift work gets brushed off as “part of the job”… but no one actually teaches you how to handle it.So most people end up guessing. Trying different foods, routines, supplements, or just copying coworkers who feel just as wrecked.I...