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.
Are you ready to transform your perceptions of shift work?
No more viewing shift work as a burden; let's see it as an opportunity for flexibility.
We'll redefine the morning routine, from opening your curtains, resetting your circadian rhythm, to setting daily intentions before checking your phone.
I'll help you show up for the day, embrace the benefits of shift work, and dance to your own rhythm.
But it's not just about seizing the day; it’s also about caring for yourself as a shift worker. With night shifts, early morning starts, or rotating schedules, self-care tends to take a backseat. But not anymore. I'll focus on creating comforting pre-sleep rituals, designing a serene environment, and investing in quality sleep.
You'll learn about prioritizing nutrition, movement, and those all-important leisure activities that bring joy to your day.
It's time to strike a balance and focus on the positives because you deserve it.
Roger Sutherland is Australia's Night Shift & Sleep Specialist and the founder of A Healthy Shift.
After more than 40 years working rotating shifts with Victoria Police, Roger now helps organisations reduce fatigue risk, improve staff wellbeing and build healthier, safer and higher-performing 24/7 workplaces through evidence-based education, circadian biology and the Shift Work Champions™ Framework.
Disclaimer: Roger Sutherland is not a doctor or a medical professional. Always consult a physician before implementing any strategies mentioned in this podcast. Use of this information is strictly at your own risk. Roger Sutherland will not assume any liability for direct or indirect losses or damages that may result from the use of the information contained in this podcast, including but not limited to economic loss, injury, illness, or death.
Shiftwork presents unique challenges when it comes to managing time and finding a balance between work and your personal life , but I know that with the right mindset and a few practical approaches , shiftworkers truly can seize the day . In today's episode , i'll discuss how Shiftwork can be brutal , but it doesn't have to be . Welcome to a healthy shift . My name is Roger Sutherland , certified Nutritionist , veteran Law Enforcement Officer and 24-7 Shiftworker for almost four decades . Through this podcast , i aim to educate Shiftworkers , using evidence-based methods , to not only survive the rigors of Shiftwork , but thrive . My goal is to empower Shiftworkers to improve their health and well-being so they have more energy to do the things they love . Enjoy today's show . You , the listener , are more than welcome to today's episode of a healthy shift podcast . My name is Roger Sutherland and I am your host . Now , today's episode . I want to talk about how we , as Shiftworkers , can actually seize the day . Now . I know we all get caught up all the time in oh my God , shiftwork . I'm a Shiftworker , i'm tired , i can't do anything , i can't achieve anything and all the rest of it . But are you actually being true to yourself ? How is your time management looking ? and what about your self-care ? And there's a number of other points that I want to talk about that I'm really hoping will help you to actually change your mindset and actually seize the day Now . This is only going to be a short one , but before I get into the episode today , i beg you , please , if you could go straight back to the start of this show and actually , on Spotify , you can hit the three dots and hit five stars , because you can only rate on Spotify And if you're listening on Apple , go back to the main page , scroll to the bottom . You can give it stars and also just write a short review , if you would be so kind , because that's what helps other people that are looking for a decent podcast to listen to will actually read and go . Yep , this looks like for me , all right , so let's get on with today's show , seizing the Day Now .
Speaker 1
My first discussion point today is actually about embracing a positive mindset . Now , our mindset plays its underestimated for the crucial role in how we approach each day . So let's look at how shift workers can cultivate a positive mindset despite the challenges that they face . Now my first point is this that by shifting our perspective , we can actually start each day with a positive mindset . Right , good one , rog , i'm exhausted , i'm tired , i can't cope , can't think . So what are you talking about ? Well , this all takes practice , and if there's one thing that clients of mine will know is I'm huge on , actually , this phrase Put the music on to dance to and don't wait to see what music is playing and dance to that .
Speaker 1
Now , what do I mean by this ? What I mean by this is wake up , get up and set the music to dance to . There's nothing worse than actually going to a dance or going to a club and hanging around until that song comes on , and then , when that song comes on , you dance your head off . And then , all of a sudden , you're back on the side having another drink while you're waiting for a next decent song . What if you were one that was setting the playlist and you were putting the positive music on to dance to ?
Speaker 1
Now , what I mean by this is set your agenda for the day . Now I say this sky before screen . Wake up , open your curtains , lie there and look out the window , get that daylight in , reset your circadian rhythm . That will get rid of your brain fog . And while you're lying there looking out the window , set your intentions for the day . This is where you create your mental list of I'm going to do this , i'm going to do this and I'm going to do that , and get it all squared away in your mind to start off with , before you touch your phone and waste an hour to two hours just going through rubbish with the fear of missing out . This is a real problem that people have and waste so much time , particularly us , the shift worker . We do this all the time , so what we do is we get our sky before screen . We don't look at our phone , we look at the window , or give yourself a chance to just wake up , and when you wake up , lie there and Give yourself 15 to 20 minutes before you even touch your phone . When you do get up , hydrate , rehydrate your system . This will help you to get rid of your brain fold . And then Caffeine and set your intentions for the day . Now . Just discuss that , so I'm not going to go back into it again . All right , so set your intentions . This is what I'm going to do and this is how I'm going to go about it .
Speaker 1
Now , remember this to shift our perspective , in my opinion , it actually starts with reframing the idea that our shift work and working a regular ours . Instead of viewing this as a burden , why can't we look at it as an opportunity to have more flexibility in our lives ? Why don't we just look at it as Bonus ? I don't have to get up and drive to work eight to four , monday to Friday , every week . Now it's important for us to focus on the benefits of shift work . We've got more time during weekdays for personal activities or being able to avoid . You know , when you're coming home from night shift . Have a look at all those suckers that are actually sitting in the traffic That are heading to work , to , to be there with their bosses over the top of them , working in a controlled environment , with everybody there . And yet here you are heading home to bed now . Yes , you've been up all night , but you're in a different environment , and Is there anything better than coming home after night shift and actually climbing into bed ? so Not only that , but if we shift our perspective around the fact that we can make important appointments , go and see doctors , go and see specialists We can only go and get a massage .
Speaker 1
We can go to the gym at times when there's not many people there . Could you imagine being a tradie or something like that ? That's got to go to the gym at five o'clock in the afternoon when Everybody's there . When you can't get machines , you can't get things . That when you want to make appointments or you want to play golf on Saturday or Sunday , everybody's there playing it . So if we shift our perspective to the bonus that shift work brings us , then that can completely change your mindset . All right . So there's point one Shifting our perspective can really truly make a difference .
Speaker 1
Now , point number two that I want to raise is around time management . Now , once again , lying in bed , scrolling on your phone for two hours and then telling , telling everybody that you haven't got time to do anything , is absolute rubbish . All right , because everybody's got the same amount of time in their day . Now , admittedly , there are people who have got kids , that they've got to get organized , and there are those that don't , but there's a lot of people as well that are single , that don't have kids and don't have time To do the things that they need to be doing now . One thing that I want to talk about here is Managing time effectively is absolutely crucial . As a shift worker , how can we optimize their schedule and make the most of the limited free time that we actually have Now , time management is key for shift workers and one effective strategy is to create a routine that actually works for you , establishing your consistent sleep and wake time .
Speaker 1
Don't at me I'm still going to stick with this one that even on a shift shift work other than night shift , you are still in a position where you can go to bed and get up at roughly around the same time , within a few hours of each other . But what we do is we self-sabotage . We come home at night and we sit watching TV until late because we can't sleep , because we haven't gone through a wind down Routine to sleep . Now we need to make sure that we stick to a Routine as much as we possibly can , and just remember Control the controllables . Do this when you can do it . Of course , there's going to be days when you can't that's typical . But if you , if you , stick to that routine , then you're going to find yourself that you are actually regulating your body clock and then what you're doing is you will be maximizing your energy levels . It's no good saying I've worked five late shifts and I'm really tired , so I'm going to have a sleep in that . Sleeping is doing you more damage And this is why you don't actually have the energy , and we've discussed that numerous times in podcasts . So this is a situation that you need to come to grips with , that you need to get up and go to bed at roughly around about the same time .
Speaker 1
Now , the other key here is planning ahead and setting goals for your personal time . This will ensure that you're making progress and just not drifting through your days . Hello , shift workers , don't we just get to the end of the week and find ourselves not having done anything ? or we've just gone ? Oh , my God , i had so much to do but I just not achieved anything . Do you know ? I've talked about this in another podcast as well , but scheduling is literally a game changer . Setting a schedule of the things that you absolutely have to do will make a massive difference to your lifestyle . Just jotting down , writing down the things that you absolutely have to do and ticking those off so that they are visually there for you to be able to do , and making it a priority and allocating the time accordingly .
Speaker 1
Now , if you're a person that likes to run , or you're a person that likes to go to the gym , or you're a person that doesn't like to run or doesn't like to go to the gym . But you know that you should be doing it because , let's face it , nobody wants to give up bed to go to the gym or go for a run or go for a walk . But we have to do that . You've got to get it into your head . You have to make the time and you have to do these things because it's going to get worse . No one's going to come in and save you . You are the person that has to get up and get going and do that . That job that you've got to do . You've got to do that job . That other thing that you've got to do those documents you've got to sign , you have to do that . That letter you've got to post , you have to do that . Nobody's going to do this for you . So you have to get your butt out of bed and get on with the day and get doing it and you will feel so much more positive , so much more confident and you will feel so much more accomplished for actually getting up , getting on with your day and ticking off those major jobs that you need to actually do . So , on that point , having a routine and setting a clear priority can literally help a shift worker stay organized and focused . So that's point number two .
All right , now let's move on to my final discussion point here , which is self care . Now , shift work Almost all the time will actually lead to neglecting our own physical and mental well-being . It does . We just end up exhausted , tired , we just don't do anything about it and our own physical and mental well-being starts to really suffer . Now , in frontline health and also emergency services in particular , and also those people that are getting up in the middle of the night and driving trains or doing whatever they're doing , you are sacrificing your own health for the sake of everybody else But everybody . What are you doing for yourself ? Are you allocating time for yourself ? Because self-care is absolutely essential for shift workers .
Speaker 1
So , firstly , self-care . It's important that we prioritise our sleep . That is our number one self-care objective and it's really important . So what we need to do is we need to establish a wind-down routine before bedtime . We need to create a calm and a relaxing environment . We need to avoid stimulating activities before sleep And also invest in a comfortable sleep setup pillow , mattress , sheets , are you wearing an eye mask ? Is your bedroom dark ? Is it cool ? Is it quiet ? Are we actually taking responsibility around all of these things ? Because we really really do need to , because a comfortable sleep setup will contribute definitely to a better quality rest . And what I've said before if you create the environment , your body will literally take care of the rest . And secondly , making time for some form of physical movement and incorporating nutritious meals into your routine will literally boost your energy levels and your overall well-being .
Speaker 1
Don't look at exercise Don't look at it as exercise , as a chore that you've got to get ready , drive to the gym you've got to go and just get some form of movement in , because the word exercise can become completely overwhelming . But if you just take yourself for a walk around the block , then it makes life so much easier for you . But that movement is also enormously beneficial for you as well . Get that light , get that movement in , and what it will actually do is it will actually increase your energy instead of making you tighter . A lot of people won't exercise or won't go to the gym or won't walk or run or do anything else because they think it's going to make them tired . But what it actually does is it actually improves your energy levels and it improves your overall well-being . Our bodies are designed to move .
Speaker 1
And the last point I want to make in relation to that is don't forget to schedule downtime for activities that you actually enjoy . It might only be reading or spending time with your loved one or pursuing some form of hobby , but it's all about finding that balance and focusing on that . You can't live all the time in work And by on that too . When I say schedule downtime , that also means that's not the time to be calling and speaking to people from work about work issues and work problems , because all that's doing is keeping you in the vortex of whatever you want to call it , this vortex of hell that is work when you're at work and then you're at home talking about the same things . So be very careful When you're scheduling downtime . Make it downtime for you . It's to repair your mental health and it's to give you time to recover yourself , all right . So it's about finding that balance in between your work and home life or your hobbies , so that you're not living in that work thing all the time and it gives you something to look forward to . So prioritizing your sleep , your nutrition and your movement and leisure activities will greatly enhance your shift workers overall quality of life .
Speaker 1
Okay , so I hope you found that those discussion points helpful and it should empower you to make the most out of your time as a shift worker . Remember what you're thinking . Alright , reframe that . Shift work is horrendous . Alright , remember that . Just shift your perspective . The second one manage your time . As well as you can actually manage your time , it's really , really important and have a routine and structure , and I think you'll find that that will make an enormous difference . And remember , embracing a positive mindset , mastering time management and prioritizing self-care are the keys to seizing the day . Thank you for listening . If you enjoyed this episode , be sure to subscribe so you get notified whenever a new episode is released . It would also be ever so helpful if you could leave a rating and review on the app you're currently listening on . If you want to know more about me or work with me , you can go to Ahealthyshiftcom . I'll catch you on the next one .
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