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
[376]- Your host on Radio 3AW - Talk Back Radio 11-05-2026
Night shift can feel like you’re doing everything right and still getting hit with cravings, brain fog, poor sleep, and weight gain.In this episode, we break down why that happens and what actually helps when you’re awake while your body...
[375] - I agree with you, your hormones are broken.
Shift work can make it feel like your body is working against you. You’re exhausted no matter how much you rest, your gut feels off, weight gain doesn’t make sense, and your cycle feels unpredictable.If you’ve ever thought “my hormones a...
[374] - If you work nights - You'll learn from this
Night shift takes a real toll, but it doesn’t have to control your energy, sleep, or recovery. In this episode, I share why I’m excited to be part of the free Global Night Shift Summit and what you can actually take away from it as a shift work...
[373] - The One and Done Solution for Shift Workers
Shift work gets brushed off as “part of the job”… but no one actually teaches you how to handle it.So most people end up guessing. Trying different foods, routines, supplements, or just copying coworkers who feel just as wrecked.I...
[372] - Steve Jennings - Creatine, What is it with this hugely popular white powder
If you work nights and your brain feels like it’s running on fumes, the usual answer is more coffee, more energy drinks, and just pushing through. But that cycle often leads to wired nights and poor daytime sleep.In this episode, we brin...
[371]- Your host on Radio 3AW - Talk Back Radio 17-04-2026
We get blunt about the real cost of shift work and why “just toughen up” is the wrong lens for fatigue, health, and safety. We also break down Mondayitis as a body clock problem, not a personality flaw, and share practical ways to reduce the da...
[370] - It's not Jet Lag....It's this
Why do you feel better on holiday, even with jet lag?Because your habits naturally sync your body clock to the day.In this episode, we break down the “holiday blueprint” and how shift workers can use it to reduce soc...
[369] - You Might Look Fine…But This May Be Quietly Killing Shift Workers
You can look fit on the outside and still carry dangerous visceral fat—driving inflammation, insulin resistance, and long-term disease risk behind the scenes.In this episode, I break down why shift work and circadian disruption make visc...
[368] - You’re Not Broken… You're Missing This Signal
Sunlight isn’t optional, it’s your body’s control system.For shift workers, light can either fix your sleep, energy, and mood… or completely wreck it.In this episode, we break down how different types of light affect your b...
[367] - Save Money - Do This For Free
Are supplements actually helping… or just wasting your money?Shift work destroys sleep, energy, and metabolism. And when you’re exhausted, it’s easy to look for a quick fix.But here’s the truth: If your foundati...
[366]- Your host on Radio 3AW - Talk Back Radio 13-04-2026
We get real about the hardest hours of night shift and why your body feels colder, slower, and foggier when the circadian rhythm drops. We also challenge the 10,000 steps rule, share research-backed walking targets, and swap a few classic laugh...
[365] - What Are You Accepting As Your New Normal?
Today I'm asking a blunt question: what are you accepting as your new normal, and is it quietly dragging your health down. I break down how shift work slowly chips away at sleep, energy, weight, and routine, then lay out the awarene...
[364] - The Silent Health Risk Every Shift Worker Needs to Know About
Shift work can leave you looking fine while metabolic syndrome builds quietly underneath. In this episode, we break down what metabolic syndrome is, why shift workers are at higher risk, and the simple habits that reduce damage by wo...
[363] - Meal Prep for Shift Workers - The Simple System That Actually Works
Meal prep sounds simple until you’re dealing with rotating shifts, fatigue, overtime, and missed breaks.This is where most plans fall apart.In this episode, I share a simple, flexible approach that reduces decision fatigue and mak...
[362] - Caffeine and Shift Work
Caffeine can feel like energy for shift workers but in reality, it’s mostly masking fatigue.In this episode, we break down how caffeine really works and share simple timing rules to protect your sleep quality so you can wake up more reco...
[361]- Your host on Radio 3AW - Talk Back Radio 30-03-2026
We talk with Roger Sutherland about what crushing debt, poor spending choices and shaky trust in leadership feel like on the front line. Then we pivot to the body, unpacking why modern “me time” often keeps us wired and how simple changes can h...
[360] - You’re Not Fine. You’re Distracted
"Lifing" teaches us "keep moving, keep coping, and keep distracting" ourselves until the body finally forces a pause. I share a raw story from the pool that reveals how breath, rhythm, and silence can unlock real nervous system recovery for fir...
[357] - Sober Curious The Question Most Shift Workers Avoid
Shift work can make alcohol feel like the easiest “off switch” but your biology doesn’t agree.In this episode, we unpack the Sober Curious mindset and why even “normal” drinking can disrupt your sleep, mood, metabolism, and ...
[356] - Your host on Radio 3AW - Talk Back Radio 16-03-2026
We dig into why Monday mornings feel so rough, and why the answer sits in your circadian rhythm rather than willpower. We also take on the daylight saving fight and ask whether locking Australia to standard time could reduce real health risks.<...
[355] - Blue light does not inhibit you going to sleep, there I said it...
I challenge the biggest blue light belief and explain why the real danger is not whether you nod off, but what light does to melatonin and your circadian rhythm. I break down how your eyes feed the brain’s master clock and why managing light is...
[354] - World Sleep Day 2026 - Why Shift Workers Must Stop Accepting Bad Sleep
I mark World Sleep Day 2026 by cutting through the myth that poor sleep is just part of shift work and lay out a simple plan to protect brain and metabolic health. I explain the glymphatic system, hunger hormones, and the practical gear and rou...
[353] - Why Your Body Clock Trumps Your Diet
I break down why timing beats diet for shift workers and how aligning meals to your body clock cuts cravings, supports sleep and trims your waist. We explain the science behind intermittent fasting and time-restricted eating, then give simple r...
[352] - The "Tired but Wired" Circuit Breaker
I share a science-backed routine to flip a wired brain into real rest, using EMDR-style bilateral audio, low-profile sleep buds, and simple breath work. We explain why exhaustion sleep is not restorative sleep and how to create a clean transiti...