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
423 episodes
[73] - Dr Jade Murray - How should employers be supporting shift working work places in 2023?
.Journey with us through an engaging conversation with Dr. Jade Murray, her decade-long expertise in sleep and circadian research unravels the intricate relationship between shift work and chronic fatigue. Discover how irregula...
[72] - Embracing Change: Finding Motivation and Time as a Shift Worker
Ever feel like your shift work schedule leaves you with no time or motivation for self-care? Let's take a step back and confront the hard truths about who we're actually hurting with these statements. I'm Roger Sutherland,...
[71] - When are we supposed to exercise?
Ever wonder how to fit exercise around your busy shift work?" That question birthed my own journey back to health and wellness after an exercise hiatus, and I'm thrilled to share my experiences in this episode. As a ce...
[70] - Embracing Body Positivity: Breaking Free from Negative Body Image
Feeling trapped in a cycle of negative thoughts about your body? Longing to embrace body positivity but unsure where to start? Join me, Roger Sutherland, your certified nutritionist and law enforcement officer, as we explo...
[69] - Rachel Li - Understanding the Impact of Shift Work on Menstrual Cycles and Hypothalamic Amenorrhea
Shift work can be extremely detrimental to us biologicallyFemale shift workers have an in-built early warning system warning them their body is in trouble.Do you have an irregular menstrual cycle? Have you ever wond...
[68] - "A Quick chat with....." - Coach Shannon Beer - Strategies to Combat Stress Eating
As shift workers, we can be highly stressed purely by the roles that we perform, and that may bring about episodes of using food for comfort.Facing the struggles of stress and stress eating head-on, we've got expert Shannon Beer here to...
[67] - Strategies to Seize the Day
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 you...
[66] - If you struggle coming out of nights, try this
What if there was a way to take back control of your health, despite having to endure the rigors of night shifts? Let me, Roger Sutherland, certified nutritionist and veteran shift worker, share with you a game-changing strategy that c...
[65] - Jet Lag V Shift Work
Are you ready to crack the code of your body's internal timekeeper? Ever wondered why jet lag feels worse when you're flying east rather than west? Join me, as we explore the mysteries of our circadian rhythm and discover how it influences our ...
[64] - Dr Jill Joyce - The influence food accessibility plays in a shift working environment
Do you ever wonder how your food environment impacts your health, especially as a shift worker? Today, we're joined by Dr. Jill Joyce, a registered dietitian, professor of public health nutrition, and co-director of the Tactical Fitness...
[63] - "A quick chat with..." Angela (The Healthy Diary) "The 3-step meal prep process for shift workers"
Struggling with meal prep amidst the chaos of shift work? Discover a game-changing three-step meal prep process with Angela Borges from A Healthy Diary in our latest chat. Together, we break down her simple and effective method for planning, sh...
[62] - Stop making excuses, what you need to do is free
Are you tired of just surviving the rigors of shift work? Get ready to thrive instead! I'm Roger Sutherland, certified nutritionist and shift worker for almost 4 decades, and I'm here to share evidence-based strategies...
[61] - Poor sleep leaves clues
Struggling with sleep as a shift worker? You're not alone! Join me as I uncover the ways in which many of us are unintentionally sabotaging our own rest and the significant impact it has on our well-being. In this episode, I discuss the...
[60] - Caffeine, The latest research
Do you really struggle with sleep while working shift work?Could your caffeine intake be the problem?We know that caffeine has a half life of 4-6 hours in our body.In this podcast, I discuss the findings o...
[59] - Body Scan Meditation for Sleep
Shift workers often find themselves awake in the middle of the night unable to go back to sleep.The body scan is a mindfulness meditation practice involving scanning your body for pain, tension, or anything out of the ordinary. It c...
[58] - Dr Hannah Sehl - How to meditate and Why it works
As a shift worker do you always feel like your mind is racing a million miles an hour all the time?You've tried what you thought was meditation and gave up because you just can't quieten your head down enough to focus.D...
[57] - "A quick chat with...." Grace Cowan (The Shift Workers Coach) "How do you find motivation?"
As shift workers, we are exhausted most of the time.One of the most common questions I get is "How do I find motivation?"In this "A quick chat with...." episode I asked Grace Cowan (the shift workers coach) "How do we find motiv...
[56] - 5 Things I wish I'd known before I started shift work
Do you really struggle with shiftwork?Do you have strategies on how to best cope with certain aspects of shift work?I honestly believe that you can thrive in shift work and not just surviveIn this ep...
[55] - Decision Fatigue
You're great at your job and do it really well but have now found yourself at the supermarket, completely overwhelmed, and can't decide what to have for dinner...you don't even remember driving there.As shift workers, we make countl...
[54] - "A quick chat with...." Coach Mark Carroll "Are three days resistance training a week enough?"
As shift workers, we are exhausted most of the time.The benefits of resistance training are ridiculously underrated for health.In this "A quick chat with...." episode I asked Coach Mark Carroll if 3 x 40min sessions a week is en...
[52] - Season 2 - I'm Back
Season 2 - I'm back and excited to bring season 2 to you.In this episode, I discuss where I've been, what I've been doing, and what's coming.Most importantly, I've missed podcasting for you and I'm back in front of the mic
[53] - Maddy Smith - Fertility & Womens Health in Shift Work
Do you really struggle with the impacts that shift work has on your health as a female?Do you really know what an Infradian Rhythm is?Do you understand the importance of a healthy menstrual cycle?Mad...
[51] - Jeff Ash - Intuitive Eating Coach - What actually is Intuitive Eating?
Guest: Jeff Ash - Intuitive Eating CoachDo you really struggle with dietingDo you understand the damage that yoyo dieting causes and why?Do you actually understand what Intuitive Eating is?In this episode w...