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.
After years of wrestling with mental and physical turmoil during a demanding career with Victoria Police, I found a lifeline in understanding the autonomic nervous system. Discover how the delicate balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the ANS can be a game changer for shift workers and frontline heroes. Through personal insights, I reveal the science behind chronic stress and how it manifests in our bodies, leading to a host of health issues. The promise of neuroplasticity, however, offers hope—a chance to rewire the brain away from a perpetual state of stress towards a more resilient and balanced existence.
I share the powerful self-care strategies that guided my recovery from PTSD, anxiety, and depression. From early morning sunlight and hydration to professional psychological support, these are not just tips but essential practices for those battling similar challenges. Explore the transformative effects of routines, hypnosis, meditation, and breathwork, which have helped me navigate my healing journey. I aim to empower others through my story, encouraging a focus on mental health awareness and the courage to prioritise one's own well-being. Join me in understanding the strength found in vulnerability, as we explore the path to recovery and resilience.
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.
Understanding our brain and our autonomic nervous system is an absolute key to literally thriving in shift work . Today I just want to talk about something that's occurred to me particularly over the last three weeks , which has given me a really , really good understanding into rewiring the brain , how my brain got to the stage that it did get to , and how we can tap into our autonomic nervous system and how it literally is running us in a sympathetic state all the time as a frontline responder . And today I want to talk about how we can flick from one side of our autonomic nervous system to the other and the danger of staying on the wrong side . 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 wellbeing so they have more energy to do the things they love . Enjoy today's show and hello everyone and welcome back to A Healthy Shift , which is the podcast where we talk about the strategies , the science and solutions to help you thrive and not just survive in your shift working life .
Speaker 1
Now I'm your host , roger Sutherland , and today I'm going to be shining the spotlight as we do in every episode onto something that is fundamental to our health , our resilience and our longevity , and that is the autonomic nervous system . Now , if you are a frontline health worker or a first responder , this episode is especially for you . So let's be real . Your job is high pressure , it's unpredictable and it is often very , very chaotic . You operate in a constant state of I've got to be ready for action which can take a serious toll on your physical and mental health . Now , something that is really , really important and I'm going to flag this at the very beginning , before you lose your concentration it is really important for you to understand that through neuroplasticity , which is the brain's ability to rewire itself , you can literally rewire your brain to function in a heightened state . Now , this is not what we want , and it can take a long time to rewire back , and this is where I have actually been for the last four years , until something happened to me very recently that I'm going to highlight and talk about in this podcast . Now , today I'm going to unpack how the two branches of the autonomic nervous system actually function the sympathetic and the parasympathetic side . We'll discuss what happens when stress hijacks your body and why living with an over-activated amygdala can be so detrimental and , most importantly , how to intentionally shift yourself into a parasympathetic state to prioritize your recovery and your own health .
Speaker 1
And to start with , we need to understand what the autonomic nervous system is . So let's start with the very basics . The autonomic nervous system , or your ANS , is like the autopilot of your body and it manages functions like your heart rate , your breathing and your digestion , but without you even having to think about them . The autonomic nervous system has two primary branches . The first branch is the sympathetic nervous system , or the SNS . This is your body's fight or flight mode . It is activated when you perceive that there is danger , whether it's an actual life-threatening situation or literally just the stress of a difficult shift . Number two is the parasympathetic nervous system , or the PNS , and this is your rest and digest mode . It is activated when your body feels safe and it can focus on repair , recovery and digestion . Now here's the kicker In your role in frontline health or as a first responder , you are constantly flipping the switch between your sympathetic nervous system and your parasympathetic nervous system , but what you are constantly doing is living in this sympathetic side .
Speaker 1
That's necessary because you need to be sharp , you need to be alert and you need to be ready to act in an emergency . But here's the catch when you're living in that high alert state for too long , it's like keeping your foot on the gas pedal without ever hitting the brakes . Now we need to understand what the amygdala is , because this is your stress alarm . So let's talk about it . It's a tiny almond-shaped structure in your brain , but we mustn't let the size of it fool you . The amygdala is like the security alarm of your whole nervous system and it is what detects threats and triggers the fight or flight response . Now , when you're dealing with a high-pressure situation , like you're running into a burning building or you're handling a medical emergency , your amygdala literally fires up . What it does is it floods your body with stress hormones like cortisol , adrenaline , and this , in turn , will increase your heart rate and focus your attention and give your energy sorry , correction , and give you the energy to literally respond quickly . Now , this is absolutely fantastic in the short term , but the problem arises when your amygdala stays in red alert mode long after the stressor is actually gone . And this is what we are notorious for in frontline health . And our first response ?
Speaker 1
People , chronic overactivation of our amygdala can lead to increased inflammation in our body , a suppressed immune function . Hello to those constant colds and flu that we get . Elevated blood pressure , increasing your risks of heart disease . Hello , shift workers , again . Anxiety , mood swings , burnout . And I want to talk about this one as well Poor digestion , ibs .
Speaker 1
We underestimate how our sympathetic side of our autonomous nervous system impacts on our digestive system , which causes that gas , that bloating and digestive pain as well . Because while your sympathetic side of your autonomic nervous system is actually activated , your digestive tract is shut down . And it's shut down because it's not needed during that fight or flight stage . So if you are someone who suffers constantly from digestive issues , maybe it might be time to start having a look at stress . Yes , the bottom line is , if you live in a continual and perpetual state of stress , it'll age you from inside to out , it will cause you all sorts of problems .
Speaker 1
And what's the cost of ignoring this recovery ? And this is where many of us get it so wrong . We are normalizing stress . We think , oh , this is just part of the job . But let me tell you , it does not have to be that way , because when we ignore the need for recovery and let all of those stress hormones linger in our system , it puts us on a fast track to burnout , chronic fatigue and illness . And I get it .
Speaker 1
When you're a shift worker , you might feel like there's absolutely no time to relax at all . Your schedule is erratic , your shifts are all over the place , you've got family to deal with . You might even feel guilty for resting when you're not at work . But let me just flip this script . Recovery is not a luxury , I can promise you . It is a biological necessity that you must give time to .
Speaker 1
When you don't allow your body to shift back into this parasympathetic state , your system never , ever gets the chance to just rest and repair itself . And this doesn't just affect you , it's going to impact on your relationships , it's going to impact on your performance at work . And this doesn't just affect you , it's going to impact on your relationships , it's going to impact on your performance at work and ultimately , it's literally going to impact on your longevity . So what kind of practical strategies are there that we can use to activate our parasympathetic state , which is really important . How do we get out of fight or flight and into that lovely rest and digest ?
Speaker 1
Now let's get practical , because here are evidence-based strategies to activate your parasympathetic nervous system . Call me a happy clapper , I don't care . Happy clapper works , but this is evidence-based . This is what is researched , scientifically proven to work , and the first one breathwork . Slow and deep breathing is one of the fastest ways to calm your amygdala and activate that parasympathetic system . You can do a number of ways of breathing , but try box breathing Inhale for four counts , hold for four counts , exhale for four counts , hold for four counts and repeat . The other one that you can do as well is to inhale for four counts , exhale for seven counts Sorry , inhale for four counts , hold for seven counts , exhale for eight counts . The priority here , or one of the most important things for you to do here , is to ensure that the breath out is longer than the breath in , because this instructs the brain that we are safe , because when we breathe , our breath out is shorter than our breath in . This indicates to our body that we are in danger .
Speaker 1
Now . Movement , gentle exercise , like yoga or stretching , or just walking in nature in amongst the green , also helps to signal to your body that it is okay and it's safe to relax . Who's ever gone for a walk in the bush and come home highly stressed ? No one , ever . All right , keep that in mind , that you always feel good after you've done that . The other one sleep hygiene . Now I can't stress this enough because sleep is your superpower as a shift worker , but you've got to take control of this . You've got to create a dark , cool and quiet environment for you to sleep in and also , whenever you get the chance , you've got to prioritize naps when a full sleep isn't possible . Napping is a superpower for a shift worker as well . It gives your body a chance to relax , repair , detox , shut down for a while Really , really important .
Speaker 1
Number four on my list here is mindfulness , or a meditation . You do have five to 10 minutes a day to do a mindful practice . This can reduce cortisol levels and improve your emotional regulation enormously . An app like Calm or Headspace can be really , really a vital tool for you to use . It can be really , really good , and I use Insight Timer as well , which is fantastic . Now don't tell me my brain is too busy because I can't meditate . If your brain is too busy to meditate , then you need to meditate for 20 minutes , because the person that says my brain is too busy is the person that really needs it , because the more you do it , the better you get at it and the more you will quieten your brain down . This is really , really important to know and if you want to learn how to do a mindfulness or a meditation , go and find someone that can actually teach you how to do it . I learned by a professional teacher and it changed my life . Once I found what actually suited me and worked for me , I found it really good .
Speaker 1
It's not sitting there facing a wall and saying , om . It can be in numerous different ways . That will help you to calm down from that activated , sympathetic side back into a parasympathetic side and tell your body it's okay to relax and repair Now . Nutrition is another one that we have to be really careful of Now . I'm not talking meal preps here . I'm talking about you've got to stop relying on caffeine and sugar , to quote , end , quote . Push through . Instead , focus on those whole foods that nourish your body and keep that blood sugar stable . You can't have it spiking and crashing all the time . This actually causes more stress to the body and connection . Don't underestimate the power of human connection . We're designed to walk in twos . A conversation with someone who understands your challenges can literally help your nervous system so that you feel supported and you feel safe .
Speaker 1
Now , this doesn't mean that you sit there and continually whinge and moan and groan about your life . What this is is someone who understands and empathizes with you and can offer you strategies , but don't forget the ones that I mentioned before that , that breathwork , that movement , that sleep hygiene , that mindfulness and meditation , that nutrition , because if you're not doing all of that , then you're wasting your time with anything . Now , the message that I do want you to remember and if there's one thing that I want you to take away from today , and it's this your health must be made a non-negotiable Yep . Your job is demanding a lot , but you can't pour from an empty cup . You need to prioritise practices that shift you into a parasympathetic state . That's not being selfish . It's the key to showing up as the best version of yourself , both on and off the job .
Speaker 1
Remember , thriving as a shift worker isn't about ignoring that stress . It's literally about managing it intentionally . You can do this and I'm here to support you every step of the way If you are having trouble managing your shift working life , or if you are in a position where stress seems to have got hold of you and everything has become totally overwhelming , I can help you . And if you reach out to me , I come at you from a position of experience and also I come at you from a position where I understand what it's like to live in this state and to finally come out of it . So I can help you with this , and all you've got to do is reach out and just explain to me the situation and I will give you a free 15-minute meeting with me so that we can discuss how I can help you moving forward to thrive and not just survive in your shift working life , because if there's one thing that you have to make is your health as a non-negotiable at whatever cost , because once you get to the bottom of the barrel , it is a long way back . It's really really dark down there and it can seem totally insurmountable , and you really do need to have a really good think about where you are heading , because you can't continually live this way .
Speaker 1
Now I just want to talk about my own realisation in relation to this and what's actually occurred to me recently , because
, as you will be aware , three months ago , I retired from Victoria Police . Over the last four years of that journey , it was a massive battle for me , mentally and physically . It's been a massive battle and what I didn't realize was the impact and how I had rewired my brain into a complete and utter state of what would be a sympathetic state and hypervigilance and that brought about depression and anxiety and massive problems in my life all around . And what you see and what you hear a lot of people don't realize what it is that's actually going on in the background . And this is what's really important for people to understand , because that person that's next to you that you're talking to may be really suffering with a really big battle .
Speaker 1
Now , over the last four years , I've been having psychology and I've also been under a psychiatrist as well and medication , and what I've actually learned out of all of that is I have continually put strategies in place to help me , and what I have done is I've continually , every single day , and what I have done is I've continually , every single day , turned up for myself . If there's one thing that you need to do , is you need to continually turn up for yourself . Cut the bullshit and stop this . I'm just listening to my body and lounging around and sleeping in bed and feeling sorry for yourself because you've got yourself overweight . Get your sorry ass out of bed . Get up and get that early light that's free . Getting out of bed early that's free . Getting out in the light is free . Getting early daylight . Drinking the water is minuscule amount . Having a coffee , getting yourself out and going for a walk is free . Having a coffee , getting yourself out and going for a walk is free .
Speaker 1
Going to a gym and exercising those muscles to tell your body that it needs muscle it still needs that muscle may very well prevent you from having chrome bars on either side of the toilet to help you to get off the toilet in your 60s , 70s and 80s . This is really really important for you to understand . And then , getting your light diet right as you go through the afternoon . Stop sitting there and just scrolling for hours on social media , getting yourself totally burnt out and walking around comparing yourself to people that you can't possibly compete with because they are genetically blessed with . Because they are genetically blessed . Get your light diet right . Get it right and then , at night , block that blue light . Blue light blockers , zero blue globes . Get your butt to bed early .
Speaker 1
I always say in my own life that if you are in a position where you can say , do we watch one more episode of this on Netflix , if you wouldn't set the alarm to wake up at 4.30 in the morning to watch that episode , what the hell are you doing watching it now ? Why wouldn't you just go to bed , get a solid night's sleep and wake up in the morning and just feel so much better about your entire life ? And having got that good sleep will make you feel better . The one thing that I've really battled with is people who complain that woe is me in their life and it's all so hard and what they're doing is they're listening to their body and they're over-consuming alcohol or drugs or pornography or gambling and what they do is just a distraction to the misery that's in your own life and you need to take control of it and what you need to do is you need to really , really just look after your body and start taking care of what you're actually doing there .
Speaker 1
Now I've had battles with certain issues in my life , which I won't go into , but a certain issue in the background , not in my relationship
, but a certain issue that isn't as a result of my job , but it certainly is a result of the PTSD and the anxiety and the depression . And recently I went and sat with a psychotherapist who was someone who I really , really connected with and someone who has helped me to literally get completely unstuck from that thinking around that and through hypnosis and also through strategies that she used during that session for the last three weeks it was three weeks ago I suddenly feel exhausted and I thought to myself this is no good . I feel really tired and I've had lengthy discussions with Michelle in relation to this and also with a couple of other psychologists around it , and they said to me this is a couple of other psychologists around it and they said to me this is a really , really good thing . You don't realize . So I wanted to know why .
Speaker 1
Because for 40 years I've been living with an overactive amygdala , with hypervigilance , and I've been using distractions to keep myself going and I've kept going and going and going and it wasn't until I was released from the final piece in that jigsaw puzzle . That has given me the opportunity now to just relax and my brain feels safe and my body feels safe and I feel safe and nothing can hurt me now and I'm now in a position where I have let it all go and now my brain has just gone into that rest and digest and I'm exhausted and I am because I've been fighting for the best part of 40 years and I'm exhausted . But what I am doing is I'm turning up for myself every single day . I get up out of bed at six o'clock , 5.30 , six o'clock every single morning , and I get that early light and then I get my phone and then I'll get the water , and then I get the caffeine , then I take myself for a walk and then I go to the gym and then I work on the business , and I work hard on the business with what I'm actually doing , and then after that I then get to the stage where , once the sun goes down , so the light in the house goes off and we go down to zero blue light and then I wear blue light blockers to look at my phone if I'm ever looking at my phone and then I go to bed at 9 , 9.30 at night and I go straight to sleep and I sleep like a baby , and that's how it's been for the last three weeks or so , and this is so important for everybody to understand that it isn't until you step out and you look in that you realize how hypervigilant you've become because you have rewired your brain to think that this is normal and this is life . And I can tell you it absolutely is not , and you need to step out and have a look and you need to take care of your life and with what you're actually doing there .
Speaker 1
So that's what I wanted to summarize with that , because I've had a light bulb turned on for me and , as tired as I am at the moment , I'm looking after myself and I'm doing all of the right things and I will come out of this really well . It's just my body just repairing and rewiring itself to get back to the stage where it lives . Every now and again it swaps into that sympathetic state , like when I go to the gym or I've got to do some exerted exercise or something , but most of the time I'm in a parasympathetic state and I'm highly relaxed . And learning meditation , learning breath work , taking myself for a walk and getting my light diet right has been the game changer that has improved my sleep , my life , my mental health and everything else to go along with it . So that's it . So thanks for joining me today on that . I hope that impacted you and you got to hear that and understand is this me ? And if it is you , I can help you out of that through what I've learned myself on that side , and it's a really , really important thing that I can coach you and I can help you with empathy and understanding and compassion from where I've come from myself .
Speaker 1
So thanks for joining me today on A Healthy Shift . If you found this episode valuable , can you please share it with a colleague or a friend who needs to hear it ? And don't forget to subscribe and leave a review . It helps us to reach more shift workers who are ready to thrive . And until next time , take care of yourself , prioritize recovery and remember you are stronger than you think . Stay safe out there . 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 .
![[207] - Understanding Your Autonomic Nervous System - A Key to Thriving in Shift Work Artwork](https://www.podcast.ahealthyshift.com/rails/active_storage/representations/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6MTc5Njc1Mjk4LCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--4e7045ac7c3f86c60c03e8aca86c10a4e660d013/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsiZGF0YSI6eyJmb3JtYXQiOiJqcGciLCJyZXNpemVfdG9fZmlsbCI6WzYwMCw2MDAseyJjcm9wIjoiY2VudHJlIn1dLCJzYXZlciI6eyJxdWFsaXR5Ijo2MH0sImNvbG91cnNwYWNlIjoic3JnYiJ9LCJwdXIiOiJ2YXJpYXRpb24ifX0=--0b154cb6b88107719b1a277923d35676ba5519cc/Podcast%20Cover%20-%20July%202026.png)