Speaker 1 0:01

Welcome back to another episode of A Healthy Shift . Today's episode is really important for every shift worker to understand , simply because of the impact that it has on them metabolically . Now , look , I work really hard to educate you , the shift worker , on how to optimise your life around shift work . But as an educator , you need to help people to understand why they need to be doing things , not just that they should . Majority of shift workers are exhausted and they need a pragmatic approach . In today's episode , I hope to do exactly that , because this one is really important . That because this one is really important . Shift work can be brutal , but it doesn't have to be . Welcome to a healthy shift .

Speaker 1 0:58

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 rigours of shift work , but thrive . My goal is to empower shift workers to improve their health and wellbeing so they have more energy to do the things they love . Enjoy today's show things they love . Enjoy today's show and welcome back to the show . I'm your host , roger Sutherland , and today , oh look , I'm going to be discussing a topic that I really do believe could be a game changer for shift workers , and that is understanding the circadian rhythm . Now , if you're a shift worker , I want you to get ready for some light bulb moments , but you're going to need to really listen to this episode today . This episode will help you to understand why shift work impacts our health so drastically , and it will highlight ways that you can support your biological health by literally respecting this essential system .

Speaker 1 2:08

So , first of all , let's understand the circadian rhythm . Circadian rhythms are roughly 24-hour cycles in the biochemical , physiological and our behavioral processes of all living organisms . They are driven by an internal timekeeping system known as the circadian clock , which is located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus or the SCN of the hypothalamus in the brain . Now , imagine this master clock as a conductor and it's ensuring that all the body's functions are all harmonized like an orchestra . Now , this internal clock is incredibly sophisticated and it's not just reacting to environmental changes , but it's actually anticipating them , and this is why it is super important .

Speaker 1 3:04

So what are the nature of circadian rhythms ? Well , the term circadian comes from a latin word , circa , which is around , and dm , which is a day , reflecting their near 24 hour cycle . Now , unlike simple reactive systems , circadian rhythms prepare our body for regular changes in the environment . For instance , they anticipate the light and dark cycles , preparing us for wakefulness or for sleep . So what's the anticipatory role of the circadian rhythm ?

Speaker 1 3:37

Well , a number one is hormonal regulation . It actually triggers a cortisol release , which is the stress hormone , which peaks early in the morning , which prepares our body for the day , while at the other end of the day , melatonin , the sleep hormone , rises in the evening to signal to the body that it's time to wind down for rest . Now number two is the metabolic processes . The circadian rhythm regulates metabolism by anticipating feeding times , anticipating feeding times . For example , insulin sensitivity is higher earlier in the day , which optimizes glucose metabolism . Now , this is really important to understand that it regulates metabolism by anticipating feeding times . Now you notice , when you wake up , breakfast , I'm hungry , or I'm hungry , oh , it must be breakfast time . Now , this is really important for us to understand because because , by eating at these times , we are actually working in with our circadian rhythm , because our circadian rhythm has anticipated that this is what we're going to do . We're going to eat . So it prepares all of the processes in the body to get it ready to eat . So , therefore , it processes everything properly . Now the next thing is our body temperature . Core body temperatures follow a circadian pattern as well . Now they peak during the day , which supports our activity , and will drop at night to facilitate the restful sleep , and this is why our shift workers really struggle overnight with fatigue or cognitive function or whatever .

Speaker 1 5:26

So what is the importance of the synchronization ? So maintaining a synchronized circadian rhythm is absolutely crucial for our health and our well-being . Desynchronization , which is often experienced by us shift workers , will lead to a host of health issues , which include sleep disorders , cardiovascular diseases , impaired cognitive function and even cancers . Now the sleep quality and mental health a well-synchronized circadian rhythm ensures high-quality sleep and is critical for our mental health . Physical health circadian synchronization helps maintain cardiovascular health by regulating blood pressure and reducing the risk of heart disease .

Speaker 1 6:15

Metabolic health synchronized mealtimes enhance metabolic efficiency , reducing the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes . This is one of the main reasons why us , as shift workers , gain weight or body fat . Cognitive function and cognitive performance is closely tied to our circadian rhythm , and shift workers often experience a decline in our cognitive performance due to this desynchronization , which impacts productivity and , more importantly , it impacts our safety , because we're not thinking properly . So there you can see , we have four key areas , which are areas that , if you think about it , we all really struggle with Sleep , physical health , metabolic health and our cognitive function . We feel brain fog , we have no go to exercise , we're not sleeping properly and therefore our physical health really suffers . So this is why it's really important to understand our circadian rhythm and work with it , because when we work with it as much as we possibly can , things function properly .

Speaker 1 7:22

So what sort of strategies can we put in place to maintain this synchronization ? Good one , rog , we're shift workers . We can't do that because of our rostering . Well , hold on a minute , let's just go through this . The first strategy is light exposure . Now , natural light exposure during the day and minimizing artificial light , particularly blue rich light at night , will help to regulate our circadian rhythm by using blue light filters on our devices and maintaining a dark sleep environment to enhance melatonin production and improve our sleep quality . That's the first one early light . This is why I say sky before screen .

Speaker 1 8:07

Wake up , open the blinds and just lay there and look out the window for a period of time , or , if you're on night shift or any other shift , once you do get up , get your coffee and get outside in the light , moving to the couch and watching TV , while that blue light is no good for us at night , it is not enough for us during the day , and this is where a for us during the day and this is where a lot of people completely misunderstand . Now we need to get a consistent sleep schedule . I know and before you're at me , I understand , remember , I've done shift work for 40 years but we need to try to keep a regular sleep schedule , even on our days off . The fact that we've done four afternoon shifts and then we've got to a day off doesn't mean , oh beauty , let's have a lie-in . We need to be getting up at the same time and going to bed at the same time as much as we possibly can , because consistency in our sleep timing helps to stabilize the circadian rhythm . Okay , so that's important to note . The more out of sync it is , the worse we actually feel and metabolically it won't function properly .

Speaker 1 9:22

Point number three is our timed meals . By aligning our meal times with our natural circadian cues supports our metabolic health . Avoid large meals late at night and try to have regular meals times throughout the day . In simple terms , if you're a shift worker , eating your meals at the same time as a normal day walker would eat is absolutely perfect , all right breakfast at breakfast time , lunch at lunch time , dinner at dinner time , and if you're on night shift and you're asleep , skip those ones . That's absolutely fine , all right . So physical activity don't underestimate physical activity for what it does , because regular physical activity , especially outside , in daylight , can reinforce our circadian rhythms . It's telling our body clock , it's go time , we're awake and we're moving , helping to regulate our sleep patterns and improve overall health . Don't underestimate the impact that getting outside and going for a walk in the morning has on our nighttime sleep . It does make a big difference .

Speaker 1 10:37

The other thing that we need to do as well , because where our body is desynchronized from our circadian rhythm , we need to make sure that we don't add additional stress to that as well , because if it's stress from a desynchronized circadian rhythm , if you're adding stress to that , then it's a recipe for absolute disaster as well . So we need to practice , which is point number five , relaxation techniques Now , stress management through mindfulness or meditation or controlled breathing , deep breathing , can help to reduce the negative impact of the stress that's caused by circadian disruption . So make sure that you're actually following some kind of relaxation technique as well , which will definitely help you . I know people think that mindfulness , meditation and deep breathing are happy clapper , but you know what it works and I just say to people do it , but just don't tell anyone that you're doing it if it's that embarrassing for you , but just do it Now .

Speaker 1 11:43

The one thing that I did want to talk about as well is morning larks and night owls . Now we really do hang a lot on . Oh , I'm a morning lark , I get up early and I can't stay awake at night . But this is normal Night owls , people that can't go to sleep . They have to have a look at what they're actually doing , because we often classify people as morning larks or night owls .

Speaker 1 12:08

But there's emerging science suggesting that the owls night owls may just be more sensitive to light , which could explain their tendencies , because research has shown that without any artificial light at all . So during a camping trip , a group of people were taken into the mountains with absolutely no electronic light or stimulation in any way whatsoever , and what the researchers found that they were away for six whole days was that every single person naturally fell asleep and woke within 30 minutes of each other . So what this does is . It indicates the profound impact of light pollution on our biological clocks . So I want you to ask yourself when you call yourself a night owl , is it because of your exposure to the light ? Or what is it Because we now have to start asking questions around this as well , because it's more natural for us to wake with the daylight early and go to sleep with the nightfall at night . It's that simple , and research has shown quite categorically people that don't have biological sleep problems that when they do go to bed sorry , when they do go out , where there's no electronic stimulation , no light at all , that everyone goes to sleep and wakes up within 30 minutes of each other , and there's got to be something in that . All right , this light pollution is causing us lots of biological issues in more ways than one .

Speaker 1 13:46

So , in conclusion , by understanding the anticipatory nature of the circadian rhythm and it's important , for health is crucial and especially for our shift working community but by recognising the predictive role of this internal clock and putting strategies in place to keep it aligned with its environmental cues , we can actually enhance our sleep quality , our mental and physical health and our overall wellbeing . So if we embrace the power of the circadian rhythm to not just thrive in shift work , not just survive in shift work , but thrive in every aspect of our life . I hope that all made sense . For me it's actually a light bulb moment and basically , in summary , what I do want to say to you is when we learn what actually occurs and when in our circadian rhythm .

Speaker 1 14:46

It is an anticipatory system , so it anticipates and we need to feed it those cues at the right time . So that's what we're trying to do . So it's anticipating that it's going to be daylight soon , so we need to give it daylight . It's anticipating that we need to eat soon , so we need to give it food at those regular mealtimes . And it's anticipating that we are getting ready to wake up , so we need to get up . It's anticipating that we need to be going to sleep soon , so we need to go to sleep . I'm sure you get the drift . So , while we react to it , we need to feed its reactions to what it is actually anticipating . So , while it is an anticipatory system , it is counting on those cues that we are actually giving it instead of just responding to what we're actually giving it , because that's what causes confusion and , in turn , causes all of those biological problems . All right , so that's it .

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If you want any further information with this , please don't hesitate to go to my Instagram at a underscore healthy , underscore shift . I always respond to my DMs and I do that personally . All right , you can also go to the website ahealthyshiftcom and have a look at all of the blogs and also the information that's on the website there . I'm sure that that will help you as well , and don't hesitate to reach out to me and ask me any questions that you would like to ask . So thanks for tuning into A Healthy Shift . I hope this episode has illuminated the critical role of our circadian rhythms to our health . Don't forget to hit follow on the podcast and make sure you turn on those pesky little notifications , because then you'll be notified when a new episode drops and you can share this episode , please , with your fellow shift workers so that everybody understands . And until next time , keep thriving .

Speaker 1 16:51

You've been listening to A Healthy Shift with Roger Sutherland . For more resources and tips on thriving as a shift worker , visit the website ahealthyshiftcom or the Instagram , which I previously stated , and join our community on Facebook . I really enjoyed being with you today , so if you're on tomorrow , I'll look forward to catching up with you on the next rotation . 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 .