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
[326] - 3 Health Markers Shift Workers Must Track
Shift work disrupts circadian rhythm and quietly increases the risk of heart disease, hormonal imbalance, fatigue, and metabolic disorders. In this episode, we explain The 176 Rule for shift workers - a simple health framework desig...
[325] - Fatigue and Burnout Will Not Wait For The Next Budget Allocation
We make a direct call to leaders of 24/7 teams to stop relying on recruitment and start building real support that reduces fatigue and burnout. Practical education, risk-aware supervision, and retention-first strategy create safer, more stable ...
[324] - Shift Work Health Risks - How Long-Term Shift Work Impacts Your Body and What You Can Do About It
We break down how shift work disrupts circadian rhythms and why that drives metabolic, cardiovascular, gut, immune and mental health risks. Then we lay out practical, evidence-based steps for sleep timing, light control, meal timing, movement a...
[323] - Shift Work, Circadian Disruption And Its Impact On Your Mental Health
We unpack how circadian disruption drives low mood, anxiety, and poor sleep for shift workers and why timing—not willpower—is the real lever. Roger shares lived experience and simple anchors that steady the mind: light, routine, food, movement,...
[322] - Managing Night Shift Better
We challenge the myth that you can flip your body clock and share a practical plan to work with biology instead of fighting it. Simple changes to food timing, light exposure, caffeine, sleep setup, and training can make night shifts survivable ...
[321] - Your host on Radio 3AW - Talk Back Radio 11-12-2025
We unpack how light shapes sleep, mood, and performance, then connect it to the real strain on shift workers and police. Practical tools for anxiety, pain, and late-night routines give listeners immediate steps while we challenge how systems va...
[320] - The Real Cost of Night Shift for Women And How to Protect Yourself
In this episode, we break down what’s really happening when women work nights and why the research shows a higher risk of breast cancer in long-term night shift workers. More importantly, you’ll learn what you can do right now t...
[319] - Jesse Stathakis - The Glass Bowl Method for Shift Workers
We show how structure beats willpower for eating well on a chaotic roster, then unpack the Glass Bowl Method: simple one-bowl meals that keep you full, reduce decision fatigue, and help weight loss stick without obsessive tracking.• Jes...
[318] - What Are IPRGCs and Why They Matter for Shift Workers
Light is the most powerful signal for your body clock—but most shift workers never train it on purpose. In this episode, I explain how your eye’s light-sensing cells set circadian timing and show you exactly how to use morning light, controlled...
[317] - Why You Can’t Catch Up on Sleep, But You Can Bank It
The idea of “catching up” on sleep with a long lie-in sounds helpful, but it actually disrupts your body clock. In this episode, I explain why it backfires and share a simple plan to stabilise your sleep timing across nights, early starts, and ...
[316] - Your host on Radio 3AW - Talk Back Radio 27-11-2025
We unpack the real mechanics of Triple Zero while sharing practical night shift nutrition, and we dig into ambulance ramping, hospital bottlenecks, and why culture and policy shape ED overload. Roger brings frontline stories from policing and c...
[315] - Let's Sabotage Your Sleep - 5 Proven Steps
Most shift workers are unknowingly wrecking their sleep—and it’s fixable. In this episode, I break down the most common sleep mistakes and turn them into simple habits you can repeat on any roster. Early daylight, movement, a caffeine cut-off, ...
[314] - A Proven 3-Step Process to Depression
If you’re feeling flat, unmotivated, tired, or just not yourself… it’s not because you’re broken. It’s because shift work quietly pulls you into a spiral you don’t even see happening.I’m talking about three behaviours stopping movement, ...
[313] - Vending Machine or Victory? - 3 Simple Rules for Night Shift Nutrition and Beating Midnight Cravings
We share a simple, evidence‑based plan to beat midnight cravings by aligning food timing with your body clock. Learn how a pre‑shift dinner and a 2–4 a.m. snack swap stabilise energy, protect gut health, and end the vending‑machine spiral.<...
[312] - Black Friday The Best Time to Stock Up on Shift Work Essentials
As a shift worker, your rest is non-negotiable, and not all popular sleep and recovery products are worth the hype. In this essential episode, I share a field-tested gear list designed specifically for the unique challenges of shift work...
[311] - Your host on Radio 3AW - Talk Back Radio 13-11-2025
We honour Detective Leading Senior Constable Dave “Stevo” Stevenson and talk frankly about why so many people feel unsafe at home. From gang history to social media bravado, we unpack consequence, culture, parenting, and what practical fixes mi...
[310] - Night Shift and Your Circadian Clock - 3 Ways to Lower Your Health Risk
I share three evidence-based strategies to reduce circadian disruption, sleep deeper after nights, and protect long-term health without chasing perfection. Light timing, a simple breath reset, and a true blackout sleep environment form a practi...
[309] – Leah Marone - When Your Mind Won’t Let You Rest
In this episode, we unpack how protective parts like the Inner Critic, Pleaser, and Rescuer quietly fuel burnout among first responders and healthcare workers.Joining me is Leah Marone, LCSW - psychotherapist, speaker, a...
[308] - A Practical Blueprint To Enter, Survive, And Exit Night Shift With Minimal Circadian Disruption
We challenge the common advice to phase-shift into night shift and lay out a simpler plan that protects your body clock. Treat nights like late evenings, anchor to daylight and meal timing, and use short naps so you can actually enjoy your days...
[307] - Let's make this crystal clear - blue light at night impacts health
We break down why falling asleep while scrolling is not a win and how blue light at night quietly shifts your body clock, blocks melatonin, and steals deep, restorative sleep. We explain the difference between sleep pressure and natural sleep o...
[306] - Your host on Radio 3AW - Talk Back Radio 30-10-2025
We dig into night shift realities, kids’ sleep struggles under daylight saving, and why lighting—not pills—should do the heavy lifting. We also question whether doorbell cameras increase safety or just anxiety, and share practical fixes for sle...
[305] - Using Your Breath To Control Your Stupid
I share a simple, science-backed breathing method that flips the body from stress to calm so you can think clearly on and off shift. Breath becomes a tool you can use anywhere to steady your decisions, your mood, and your energy.• Why b...
[304] - The Strategy That Changed My Internal Conflict, You Can Too
We trace the real source of stress for many shift workers: a clash between personal values and workplace culture. Roger shares how naming five core values eased PTSD recovery, reduced conflict, and brought clarity to decisions at work and at ho...
[303] - Shift Work PMS and Snacks – What You Eat Might Be Making It Worse
PMS can feel overwhelming for shift workers, especially when irregular rosters and sleep loss make symptoms worse. In this episode, I break down new research on PMS and nutrition, explain how a single daily food swap can ease symptoms, and shar...
[302] - How to Burn Fat Without Burning Out
Recovery, stress, and lingering fatigue are constant battles for shift workers especially after night shifts. The good news is there’s a simple cardio approach that not only helps you feel calmer but also clears excess triglycerides from the bl...