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.
If you're stuck in the rough cycle of shift work, feeling like a zombie every day, this episode will reignite your vitality. Promise? Absolutely. Together, we get real about the harsh realities of shift work - the long hours, the wonky sleep patterns, and the health toll. But I'm not just venting; I'm here with practical solutions to help you reclaim a healthier and more balanced life. We explore the power of prioritizing sleep and creating a sleep-conducive environment, along with effective relaxation techniques to help you slip into dreamland. Let's talk mindful movement and mental health. No, this isn't about spending half your day at the gym. It's about incorporating purposeful, consistent movement in your life that bolsters your wellbeing.
Finally, we cap it off with coaching strategies to help you truly thrive in your shift work life. It's time to take back control, reclaim your health, and start living a life that doesn't revolve around your work schedule. So join me, and together let's navigate the journey to a healthier, more vital shift working life.
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.
Honestly , do you think that you can just keep going like this ? Well , I'm telling you you can't . It won't get better , it will get worse and worse and worse , and the impact on your health is gonna be catastrophic if you don't do something about it today . Shift work 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 shift worker for almost four decades . Through this podcast , I aim to educate shift workers , using evidence-based methods , to not only survive the rigors of shift work , but thrive . My goal is to empower shift workers to improve their health and well-being so they have more energy To do the things they love . Enjoy today's show MUSIC .
Speaker 1
Welcome to another episode of a healthy shift podcast . I get great pleasure in welcoming you to the show and thank you so much once again for joining me . I'm your host , roger Sutherland , and I am dedicated to helping shift workers to reclaim their health and vitality . Today , I have a really important message to share , and that is your health will not get better performing shift work unless you do something about it . I can absolutely promise you . What are you waiting for ? Because a lot of people are just working through and thinking , oh , this is just shift work , but it doesn't have to be that way . And this is the thing that I just can't get through to people that , oh , this is shift work , oh , the shifts are hard , oh , complain , complain , complain . But is that a strategy for you to get through ? But is that a strategy for you to get yourself out of it and get yourself in good shape ? And I'm telling you , it's absolutely not A strategy , is a step that you take , and you need to take that step , all right . So before I dive into the essential steps , let's acknowledge the reality of shift work . We understand that there are unique challenges that you face the irregular hours , the disrupted sleep patterns and the toll that it takes on your health , not to mention the toll that it takes on your mental health as well . But I want you to remember this it's not an excuse to neglect your well-being . This podcast is a call to action .
Speaker 1
Now , you know them and I know them . There are people in your shift working location that are actually thriving . There are shift workers . They are 24 , seven shift workers . They are working alongside you . They get to the gym , they go for their runs , they go for walks , they enjoy their social life , they enjoy their life outside of work . So what is actually different ? That they're doing that ? You're not that you're actually listening to this , looking for a magic pill to fix it . It isn't coming and the magic pill is not a strategy . And what I'm saying to you is you can hope all your life , but the strategy is what you actually do and you need to put something in place to do it . We all have bad days . There is no doubt about it , even those people that you look at that run and wait and white train and seem to be just doing it in a canter , no problems at all . Even they have their bad days , but it's not an excuse to just spiral and use shift work as an excuse . So let's look at just some simple steps that you can put in place to actually help you to move forward and start to thrive like those that you know that are in the workplace that are thriving .
Speaker 1
One of the most important things that you've got to do is you've got to prioritize your sleep and rest . Dut Rog , I knew you were going to say that first and you're dead right , because it is just so goddamn important . I cannot emphasize this enough . Quality sleep is the cornerstone , absolute cornerstone of your well-being and you need to make it a non-negotiable . You need to create a sleep-friendly environment . You need to have a really good sleep hygiene , which is your routine to go to bed , and you've got to not compromise at any stage ever on that rest . Now . This needs to be a non-negotiable for your health and performance .
Speaker 1
This is not the time when you're on night shift . It's not the time to get the car serviced . It's absolutely not the time to come home from night shift and stay awake and then run the kids to school . Do you realize that your body is actually doing everything it possibly can to force you to sleep ? And you're putting your children in the car and taking them to work while your body is trying to do that . That micro nap may very well injure , or worse , your children just by driving them to school when you could have avoided it . That's the time to get Jenny from down the street to pick the kids up or to make another arrangement . You've got to make some sort of other arrangement . It's imperative . This is not the time to put the washing on and wait for it to finish and hang it out on the line . This is the time for you to get straight home , straight to bed and sleep Afternoon shifts , night shifts straight home , straight to bed , straight to sleep . Nothing else is important .
Speaker 1
And if you are struggling to get yourself to sleep because you're too stimulated , you need to have a look at a practice that you can put in place that is going to help you to separate your work from your home , some sort of relaxation technique that you can put into place and continue to work every single time you go to bed so that it triggers your body for sleep , and I can assure you it is absolutely doable . So stop making the excuse oh , I can't sleep . There will be . Poor sleep leaves traces . There is a reason why poor sleep is actually occurring , and you can go back over a number of things . Is it looking at your screens ? Is it caffeine ? Is it not having a good meditation practice or a sleep hygiene practice ? Are you not journaling ? Are you not practicing gratitude ? All of these things are happy clapper , because they get you , get you clapping . A happy end of story .
Speaker 1
Now , what you need to do as well is you need to fuel and nourish your body , because your body is a machine . Nourish your body with evidence-based nutrition . Don't follow fad diets . Don't follow this . You know fasting and fasting , intermittent fasting or time restricted feeding during the day , because this works better for me , this is what I do , or all of these fad diets , because Jenny's doing it and it actually works for her , so therefore it'll work for me . You are your own unique person . As evidence-based nutritionist , I have seen firsthand the transformative power of a well-balanced diet which is tailored to the demands of shiftwork . I can work with clients . I'd work with clients what suits them in their environment , in their life , around their shiftworking life , social life and family life to tailor what they're reading and repackage it into fit with the optimal way to eat .
Speaker 1
People don't realise the difference that it makes by just manipulating what you're eating and when and the timing of that , and the difference it makes to your energy intake , to your health and well-being . Now we're talking nutrient dense meals . We're also talking clever and smart hydration around the good times to hydrate and we're also avoiding energy draining foods . Your body is a machine and it needs the right fuel . Now , highly processed , high sugar , high fat foods are no different to just putting rubbish , dirty fuel into a high performance vehicle , and I can assure you , because you're too tired and you can't be bothered and you just get uber eats and you just eat rubbish or junk or you know , and over indulge on things like that , you are actually creating a bigger problem for your body . You might think you're helping yourself that you can actually do better , and you can do better Because if you look after your body , I can assure you it will actually look after you . Now the other thing that we need to look at is mindful movement , actually just going back to that Nourishing your body .
Speaker 1
There's a way that you can go about doing this , and I've discussed this on other podcasts as well and if you shed your out your week and have a look at every single day and write down what meal is going to be the most challenging meal for you every single day Out of each day , not all meals . You don't have to line up a kitchen bench full of all oh , look at me , coach , beautiful meals . Oh , well , fantastic , Look at me , go . What you need to do is just focus on one meal and nail it . Get one good , nourishing meal in , work with that and prepare that and go with that , because that is what is going to make a massive difference to you and it will perpetuate , I promise . So work out if it's a meal at home or if it's a meal at work . If you've got a run of afternoon shifts or you've got a run of day shifts , nail the breakfast on day shift . If it's a run of , or even day , shift , you might find it easy when you're at work , but then you've struggled because you're so tired when you come home . So make it the meal when you get home on afternoon shift . Is it your breakfast , your lunch , or is it the meal at work ? Pick which one it is , work on that and nail that one , and that's all you got to do , because I can guarantee to you that will actually Perpetuate out . All right .
Now let's move on to the mindful movement as well . When you incorporate mindful movement , a lot of people call it exercise , but I just call it movement because I think movement is . It takes away the connotation of having to get yourself dressed , go out to the gym , go and do something in the gym that you're not comfortable in doing or anything like that . It sort of creates that barrier . Then coming home , sharing , getting changed , etc . If you incorporate mindful movement into your routine , you know , it's not about marathon sessions at the gym . It's about consistent , purposeful movement that supports your physical and , more importantly , your mental well-being as well .
Speaker 1
Now workout Is it a brisk walk that you want to do ? Do you like to do yoga or are you someone who likes to go to the gym and do strength training ? Find out what works for you and commit to it . Find a PT and go once a week until you become comfortable in the gym . Or just walk into the gym and get on the treadmill and walk and look around to see what things there are that people are doing that you can do as well . One step , that's all it takes . Just one step . Get a PT , go and do one PT session a week and let that perpetuate into going in and doing other things . Get your PT to write a program for you . Having a program gives you purpose and , as a shift worker , you only need to do like three sessions a week . If you're , you need to walk every day just to get that movement and early light , and I spoke about that on the last podcast as well . It's really important that we get up , get going and get that early light movement .
Speaker 1
All right , stress management and mental health . Now We've got to prioritize our stress management and our mental health , because when our mental health is poor and our stress management is poor , our sleep is poor , and when our sleep is poor , everything's poor . Trust me , a diet is poor . Everything completely falls apart . So if you start the cycle by managing your stress , it helps you with your mental health and that will help you with your sleep and your nutrition . Now , shift work can be mentally and emotionally Extremely taxing , but it's crucial to have strategies in place to manage your stress , whether it's through a mindful practice , whether it's a relaxation technique or whether it's seeking professional support .
Speaker 1
If you actually need that , reach out and get help . Go and learn how to meditate . It will change your life . I can actually promise you that . Go to a proper school under a proper teacher and learn to meditate , because your mental well-being is just as important as your physical health as well . You need to exercise it . You need to make sure that it is in good shape Right now .
Speaker 1
The last thing is advocate for your well-being . Now it's really important to advocate for your own well-being at work , because you've got to ask yourself this question am I showing up as my best self ? Because if you're not , you need to put the oxygen mask on yourself first before you can actually help others . Now this might mean that you've got to have an open conversation with your supervisor about scheduling . I know , don't scoff . I know it can be a difficult conversation , but if you don't ask and you don't , then you don't get . It's that simple . Try working in with it . I prefer afternoons or I prefer day shifts or whatever . Don't go in there and say , oh for my mental health , I need every weekend off , because you know that's not feasible .
Speaker 1
Working with what will work with you , because creating a conducive workspace or seeking different accommodations around what you need when necessary can make a huge difference to just your health and well-being in the workplace . So remember you have the right to prioritise your own health . I will tell you quite categorically that management doesn't care . You have to look after yourself first . You have to take control of your own health , because if you think that someone's going to come and save you and look after you with your mental health or physical health , you're wrong . And if you're going to just keep on going the way that you're going at the moment , then what is actually going to happen is you are literally going to cause irreversible damage , and if you don't make time for your health now and to put your health into a good position now , then you are going to have to make time for illness later on . I promise you let that sink in , because that's true .
Now , to wrap this one up , I just want to talk about coaching and coaching with me . I have positions available for coaching at the moment for people , and if you go to my website , which is ahealthyshiftcom , and have a look at the coaching page there , you can see what I do and how I go about it . I don't want you to think , oh no , I can't be tracking and I don't have time for this , or now's not the right time . That's absolute rubbish . You're making excuses . Now is absolutely the right time for you to be doing this , because if you don't set yourself up and start putting good practices in place with someone who has done shift work for 39 years and is an evidence based nutritionist , can dispel the bullshit and reads research and stays on top of the research around the best ways to go about it , I'm in and I can actually help you to look at your own home life , your own work life , your own social life and start you on your own journey to your healthy shift , and that is going to mean that we will put little things in place along the way until we start to gain more and more momentum .
Speaker 1
I have had hundreds of clients that are literally now thriving . I get messages from them all the time , messages coming back to me about the difference that that period of time with me has made to them , when it was just simple strategies that all they had to do was put simple things in place as they went along , and that's all they've got to do . So I implore you to actually make the inquiry . Go and read it on my website and there's an inquiry form there and you can complete the inquiry form which gives me a picture of who you are and everything around your shift working life , and then you get to book , when you submit that , you book a free discovery call , which is obligation free , and then you can . We will have a half an hour zoom meeting where we will see if we are a good fit for ongoing coaching , and I will coach you to thrive and not just survive , because I know that you want more energy to do the things that you love outside of your shift working life , and that's what everybody wants , and that's where I'm at now . So therefore , it can be done .
Speaker 1
I'm 59 in shift working and I'm in a position where what we can do is I can work with you to get you to that position . I come from a very , very experienced position around that and I can look at everything in your life and manipulate that around to help you . It's not an overwhelming process . It is quite a simple process that we just go through and just put little strategies in place that is bespoke to you . Alright now , that's a wrap for today's episode . Please remember , fellow shift workers , your health is non-negotiable . It's the foundation that allows you to excel in your career and enjoy life beyond the workplace , and that's important . By taking these evidence based steps , you're not just surviving , but you're thriving . So keep pushing forward and remember I'm here to support you every step of the way . Stay committed to nourishing your body and prioritising your wellbeing and , as always , please remember to be patient and kind to yourself as you navigate the challenges of shift work and prioritise your mental health and wellbeing .
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