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...
[420] - Why I Loved Shift Work After 40 Years | The Benefits Nobody Talks About
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Why I Loved Shift Work After 40 Years | The Benefits Nobody Talks About
Shift work gets plenty of negative attention. Poor sleep, fatigue, disrupted routines and the challenges of working outside normal hours. But after more than 40 years working shifts with Victoria Police, there were things about shift work that I absolutely LOVED.
And I reckon we don't talk about them nearly enough.
In this episode of A Healthy Shift, I'm changing the conversation and sharing the positive side of shift work tha...
[419] - Part 5 - What Does a Shift Work Capable Organisation Actually Look Like?
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Across the last few episodes, I’ve talked about what I believe is missing in the way many organisations support their shift-working workforce. In this episode, I want to turn that conversation around and look at what we could actually build instead.
What does a shift-work-capable organisation look like?
For me, it isn’t an organisation where nobody gets tired, nobody struggles with nights, and we somehow remove the biological challenges of working around the clock. That isn’t realistic.
...
[418] - Part 4 - What Happens After the Shift Work Seminar?
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Bringing someone into your organisation to educate your shift-working workforce can be incredibly valuable. I’ve seen firsthand what happens when people finally understand why they’re struggling with sleep, fatigue, light exposure, caffeine, eating overnight and recovery around their roster.
But there’s another question I think organisations need to ask:
What happens after the seminar?
In this episode, I explore the difference between creating awareness and building genuine internal shift work capability.
A gr...
[417] - Part 3 - Who Actually Owns Shift Worker Health in Your Organisation?
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Who actually owns shift worker health inside a 24/7 organisation?
Is it Health and Wellbeing? Safety? HR or People and Culture? Operations? Leadership? Or does responsibility ultimately sit with the individual shift worker?
In this episode, I explore why I think that question is so important — and why the answer often isn’t as clear as organisations might expect.
Shift work doesn’t fit neatly into one department. Fatigue might become a safety issue. Unplanned absence becomes an operat...
[416] - Part 2 - You Gave Them a Roster, But Did You Teach Them How to Work It?
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We’re very good at teaching people how to do their job. But are we teaching them how to manage their life around when we’re asking them to do that job?
In this episode, I explore what I believe is one of the biggest capability gaps inside 24/7 organisations: we give people a roster, train them in policies, procedures, systems and safety, and then largely leave them to work out the biological demands of shift work for themselves.
I...
[415]- Your host on Radio 3AW - Talk Back Radio 28-09-2026
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This morning I joined Tony McManus on Australia Overnight for a conversation that went somewhere I think we need to go more often.
What is shift work like for the people waiting at home?
The conversation started with a powerful email from the wife of a retired police officer who had worked shifts for more than 42.5 years. She spoke about lying awake waiting to hear his car pull into the driveway, the impact his shifts had on their daughter, and how some of those effects hav...
[414] - Part 1 - The Hidden Cost of NOT Educating Your Shift Workers?
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What does it cost an organisation to educate its shift-working workforce?
That's an easy number to see. It appears on a proposal, gets allocated to a budget and requires someone to approve it.
But there's another number that's much harder to see: what does it cost NOT to educate your shift workers?
In this episode, I explore the hidden organisational cost of leaving employees to navigate the biological demands of shift work largely through trial and err...
[413] - Can You Actually Adapt to Night Shift?
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Can You Actually Adapt to Night Shift?
“I’ve been doing night shift for years. My body is used to it.”
But does feeling comfortable working nights mean your biology has actually adapted?
In this episode, I explore the important difference between becoming experienced at working night shift and true circadian adaptation. He explains why our internal body clock doesn’t automatically adjust to a roster, why daylight and days off can make complete adaptation difficult, and why even pe...
[412] - The First Day Off After Night Shift — What Should You Actually Do
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The First Day Off After Night Shift — What Should You Actually Do?
You’ve finished your final night shift and now you need to transition back to days. So, what’s the best way to approach that first day off?
In this episode, I explain why the sleep after your final night shift may need to serve a different purpose from the sleep between consecutive nights. He explores recovery sleep, daylight, movement and meal timing, and how each can help support the trans...
[411] - Nobody Taught You How to Work Shifts — And Thats the Problem
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Nobody Taught You How to Work Shifts — And That’s the Problem
Shift workers are trained to do their jobs, but how many are actually taught how to work shifts?
In this episode, I explore one of the biggest gaps in 24/7 workplaces: understanding the biological reality of working when the body expects to sleep and trying to recover when the rest of the world is awake.
Drawing on more than 40 years of frontline shift work, I discuss why generic health...
[410] - Eating Jet Lag: What Changing Meal Times Could Be Doing to Your Health
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Night shift doesn’t only disrupt when you sleep. It can completely change when you eat.
One day you’re eating dinner at six in the evening. The next, you’re having a main meal at two in the morning, eating breakfast after work and then trying to return to daytime meals on your days off.
Researchers call this “eating jet lag”: the difference between the timing of your eating window on workdays and days off.
In this episode, I examine a new study involvi...
[409] - Is Night Shift Bad for Your Health?
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Is night shift bad for your health?
The research linking night shift work with circadian disruption, poor sleep, metabolic dysfunction and increased long-term health risks gives us good reason to take the question seriously.
But there’s an important part of the night shift conversation that often gets missed.
In this episode of A Healthy Shift, I look at two issues every night shift worker should understand.
First, feeling good on permanent night shift does not necessarily mean your body has biolo...
[408] - You Don't Have to Feel Stressed to Be Stressed
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What if some of the biggest stressors in your life don’t actually feel like stress?
For shift workers, stress isn’t only a difficult boss, a busy shift, financial pressure or feeling overwhelmed. Your body can be dealing with physiological stress even when you feel perfectly fine.
In this episode of A Healthy Shift, I look at the stress we often don’t recognise.
Working through the biological night. Circadian misalignment. Artificial light at night. Scrolling on your phone when your body is expect...
[407] - Stop Replacing Shift Workers. Start Asking Why They're Leaving.
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Stop Replacing Shift Workers. Start Asking Why They're Leaving.
If your organisation is constantly recruiting shift workers to replace the people who are leaving, there may be another question worth asking:
Why are they leaving in the first place?
Staff turnover in 24/7 workplaces can have many causes, including leadership, pay, career opportunities, workload, workplace culture and personal circumstances. But there is another factor leaders should consider.
How much is the experience of living around shift work contributing to good peo...
[406]- Your host on Radio 3AW (w/special guest Antony - Runway Pickleball) - Talk Back Radio 31-08-2026
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I join Tony McManus on 3AW’s Australia Overnight for a lively conversation about the “pub test,” government spending, Victoria’s debt and the pressure facing police, nurses, paramedics and teachers.
We also bring the conversation back to shift work health, including a practical overnight food option that can provide protein without a heavy meal.
Then we speak with Antony from Runway Pickleball about why pickleball is growing so quickly in Australia.
We discuss how easy it is to learn and how it can help shi...
[405] - What If Your Shift Work Expert Was Already on Shift?
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What If Your Shift Work Expert Was Already on Shift?
Who does a shift worker turn to at 2am when they're exhausted, struggling with night shift and wondering how much longer they can keep doing it?
Usually, it's the person working beside them.
That conversation might contain years of experience. But it can also contain outdated advice, workplace myths or the familiar response: "That's night shift. You'll get used to it."
What if that conversation could be different?
I...
[404] - Your Shift Workers Don't Need More Motivation. They Need Understanding.
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Your Shift Workers Don't Need More Motivation. They Need Understanding.
Are your shift workers really unmotivated, or have they simply never been taught how to work shifts properly?
Many 24/7 organisations invest in employee wellbeing, fatigue management and health education, yet still struggle with chronic fatigue, unplanned leave, poor morale and staff turnover.
The problem may not be motivation.
In this episode of A Healthy Shift, I challenge the idea that exhausted shift workers simply need more discipline, better habits or...
[403] - Why One-Off Shift Work Training Isn't Enough for 24/7 Workforces
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Why One-Off Shift Work Training Isn't Enough for 24/7 Workforces
What happens after your workplace shift work training ends?
A seminar can create awareness. It can give shift workers those important lightbulb moments where they finally understand why they struggle with sleep, fatigue, nutrition, recovery and life around a 24/7 roster.
But what happens three weeks later? Three months later? Or when a new employee starts six months later?
In this episode of A Healthy Shift, I explore why one-off shift wor...
[402] - Creatine for Night Shift Workers: Could It Help When You’re Sleep Deprived?
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Creatine for Night Shift Workers: Could It Help When You’re Sleep Deprived?
Could creatine monohydrate help night-shift workers maintain cognitive performance when they’re tired and sleep-deprived?
Creatine is best known for its role in strength, muscle and exercise performance. But a growing area of research is examining something very different: creatine, the brain, and sleep deprivation.
And this could have implications for people who work through the night.
In this episode of A Healthy Shift...
[401]- Your host on Radio 3AW - Talk Back Radio 17-08-2026
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Night Shift Health: Blood Tests, Nutrition, Creatine & the Best Diet for Shift Workers
What should shift workers be doing to protect their health when working nights, rotating rosters and irregular hours?
In this episode of A Healthy Shift | Shift Work Podcast, I join Tony McManus on 3AW Australia Overnight to answer real questions from people working around the clock.
I explain why regular health checks and blood tests are worth discussing with your doctor, particularly when ongoing fatigue can...
[400] - You'll Get Used to It..... The Biggest Myth in Shift Work
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If you've worked shifts for any length of time, you've probably heard someone say:
"Don't worry... you'll get used to it."
I'm about to explain why this is the biggest myth in shift work.
In this episode, I explore why your body never truly "gets used" to night shift and explain the difference between simply surviving your roster and genuinely thriving.
Drawing on over 40 years of frontline 24/7 shift work with Victoria Police, combined with years of study in circadian bio...
[399] - If We Know What's Healthy... Why Do Shift Workers Still Struggle?
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Most shift workers already know they should sleep more, eat better, move more and look after themselves.
So why is it still so difficult?
In this episode I explore the gap between knowledge and action, why motivation isn't the answer, and why building habits that fit your roster is far more important than chasing perfection.
If you've ever felt frustrated because you know what to do but just can't seem to make it stick, this episode is for you.
<...
[398] - The Four Biological Signals Every Shift Worker Needs To Understand
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Most shift workers think better health comes from finding the perfect diet or the perfect sleep routine.
But your body doesn't work that way.
It responds to biological signals.
In this episode I explain the four most important signals that influence sleep, energy, metabolism and recovery, and why improving them is often simpler than people think.
If you've ever felt overwhelmed by conflicting health advice, this episode will help you focus on what really matters.
[397] - Your Body Isn't Working Against You... It's Trying To Protect You
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Have you ever wondered why staying awake all night feels so much harder than staying awake during the day?
It's not because you're weak.
It's not because you're getting older.
And it's not because your body is broken.
Your body is doing exactly what it evolved to do.
In this episode, I explain why your biology is actually trying to protect you, and why understanding this changes everything.
Support the show
...
[396]- Your host on Radio 3AW - Talk Back Radio 03-08-2026
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Why Most Shift Workers Never Get Taught How to Do Shift Work Properly | Shift Work Champions
Description
In this week's Australia Overnight on 3AW with Tony McManus, Roger Sutherland discusses one of the biggest problems facing shift workers around the world.
Despite one in five people working outside normal business hours, most shift workers receive little or no education on how to manage sleep, fatigue, nutrition, recovery and long-term health.
Roger introduces his new Shift Work Cha...
[395] - Five Words Every Shift Worker Has Heard
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If you've worked shifts for more than a week, you've probably heard someone say:
"You'll get used to it."
But what if that's not actually true?
In this episode I share why this simple phrase shaped the way I thought about shift work for decades, and why understanding what your body is really doing changes everything.
Whether you're new to shift work or you've been doing it for 30 years, this episode might completely change the way you think about fat...
[394] - If You Only Change 4 Things as a Shift Worker, Make Them These
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If You Only Change 4 Things as a Shift Worker, Make Them These
If you're working night shift, rotating rosters or long hours and constantly feeling exhausted, this episode is for you.
There is no shortage of advice for shift workers. One person tells you to buy a new mattress. Another recommends the latest supplement, wearable or sleep gadget. Before long, you're overwhelmed and wondering what actually makes a difference.
In this episode, I strip away the noise and explain the four dai...
[393] - Shift Work Fatigue: Why Most Organisations Get Shift Work Wrong (And How to Fix It)
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Shift Work Fatigue: Why Most Organisations Get Shift Work Wrong (And How to Fix It)
Episode 393 | A Healthy Shift Podcast
For decades we've accepted fatigue, poor sleep, burnout and declining health as simply part of working shifts.
But what if we've been asking the wrong question?
In this episode, Roger Sutherland challenges one of the biggest assumptions in modern workplaces: that fatigue is the problem. Instead, he explains why fatigue is the warning sign of som...
[392] - Why Do I Wake Up After 4 Hours of Sleep After Night Shift?
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Why do you wake up after only three or four hours of sleep after night shift, even when you’re completely exhausted?
It’s one of the most frustrating problems night shift workers face.
In this episode, Night Shift & Sleep Specialist Roger Sutherland explains why daytime sleep is often shorter and more disrupted, the battle between sleep pressure and your circadian rhythm, and what you can do to improve your sleep after working nights.
If you struggle to stay asleep after night shift, wake to...
[391]- Your host on Radio 3AW - Talk Back Radio 20-07-2026
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We pull apart the seductive idea of permanent daylight saving and explain why the first light of the morning is a non-negotiable part of healthy sleep and mood. Then we shift to the hidden crisis in 24/7 workplaces: shift workers are still expected to cope with fatigue and circadian misalignment with almost no practical support.
• why the US Sunshine Protection Act matters and what “permanent summer time” actually means
• why stopping clock changes can reduce heart attacks, strokes and car accidents
• the biological case for standard time and the ris...
[390] - What Should You Eat on Night Shift? The Best Way to Eat When Working Nights
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What should you eat on night shift, and when should you eat when working nights?
If you struggle with bloating, digestive problems, weight gain, low energy or cravings during night shift, the timing of your food may be part of the problem.
In this episode, Roger Sutherland, Night Shift & Sleep Specialist and founder of A Healthy Shift, explains why eating on night shift is about more than calories and healthy food.
You’ll learn how your circadian rhythm affects digestion and metabolism, why large...
[389] - Should You Sleep Straight After Night Shift? The Best Way to Recover
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Should you sleep straight after night shift, stay awake, or have a short sleep and get up?
The answer depends on one important question: are you working another night shift, or have you just finished your final night shift?
In this episode, Night Shift & Sleep Specialist Roger Sutherland explains how to recover after night shift, why your recovery strategy should change depending on your roster, and how sleep, daylight, movement and food timing can help you transition through and out of night shift.
If...
[388] - How to Sleep After Night Shift: Why You're Exhausted But Can't Sleep
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Why can’t you sleep after night shift, even when you’re completely exhausted?
If you work night shift and struggle to fall asleep, stay asleep or get enough quality daytime sleep, this episode explains what is happening and what you can do about it.
Roger Sutherland, Night Shift & Sleep Specialist and founder of A Healthy Shift, explains how your circadian rhythm, daylight exposure, caffeine, food timing, body temperature and sleep environment can affect sleep after night shift.
You’ll also learn practical ways to c...
[387] - Why Night Shift Makes You So Tired Even When You Sleep
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I explain why night shift fatigue can stick around even after a decent sleep and why the real issue is often circadian disruption. I break down a simple four pillar system so you can reduce biological chaos and recover with less guesswork.
• sleep deprivation versus circadian misalignment and social jet lag
• why sleeping in and random recovery can backfire
• the four pillars for shift worker health: sleep, daylight, movement, nutrient timing
• practical sleep environment upgrades and routine anchors for daytime sleep
• daylight exposure as the strong...
[386] - Why 24/7 Organisations Are Missing a Critical Piece of Fatigue Management
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We challenge leaders to stop treating shift work as a roster problem and start treating it as a biology problem that drives safety, errors, and performance. We lay out why fatigue is an organisational risk and why training trusted Shift Work Champions on the floor can change culture in real time.
• asking who owns shift worker biology in a 24-7 workplace
• outlining the evidence on long-term health risks from night and rotating shifts
• reframing fatigue as a performance and safety issue, not an employee weakness
• exp...
[385] - Cabin Crew Health: How to Stay Healthy Through Long Haul Flights
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Long haul cabin crew work is one of the most demanding forms of shift work. Crossing multiple time zones, disrupted sleep, irregular meal times, constant passenger interaction, and high-pressure safety responsibilities all place enormous strain on the body.
In this episode, Roger Sutherland draws on nearly 40 years of shift work experience, his background as a certified nutritionist, and conversations with long haul cabin crew to explain why this role is so challenging and, more importantly, what can be done to reduce the impact.
Roger introduces the...
[384]- Your host on Radio 3AW - Talk Back Radio 22-06-2026
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Roger Sutherland returns from a Mediterranean cruise with fresh eyes on what keeps your energy stable and what quietly knocks it off course. We unpack jet lag like a body clock problem you can plan for, then pivot to a blunt chat about Victoria’s “new normal” and the habits we have all drifted into since COVID.
• Mediterranean cruise routines, walking volume, gym habits and why it matters
• Choosing alcohol free options, what changed after COVID drinking patterns
• Reframing exercise as everyday movement for glucose and mental health...
[383] - Psychological Health Is Now Law – What Every Victorian Shift Worker Must Know
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We unpack Victoria’s new Psychological Health Regulations and explain how they turn fatigue, trauma exposure and roster design into legal duties for employers. We share practical controls, outline your rights to request reviews and show how culture must shift from toughness to compliance.
• definition of psychosocial hazards under the act
• why mindfulness or training alone is not a control
• roster design, staffing and recovery as legal controls
• proactive risk assessment and continuous review
• meaningful consultation with health and safety reps
• how to report hazards...
[382] - Gym After Night Shift… Or Go Straight To Bed
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After a night shift, there’s always the same question: do you push through a workout, or do you go home and sleep?
In this episode, I break down why the “always train no matter what” mindset can backfire for shift workers, especially after long nights spent fighting against your body clock.
Exercise is a stressor, and after 12 hours under bright lights, overstimulated, dehydrated, and exhausted, another intense session can sometimes do more harm than good.
• Why hard training after night shift can disrupt rec...
[381] - Why Every 24/7 Workplace Needs Shift Work Champions
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Shift work doesn’t fall apart because people don’t care. Most of the time, it falls apart because the hardest moments happen when people are exhausted, understaffed, and just trying to get through the shift.
In this episode, I talk to leaders, managers, HR teams, and anyone responsible for workplace wellbeing about what I believe is missing in most 24/7 industries: trained shift work champions inside the workplace.
• Why workplace wellbeing strategies often fail in real-world shift environments
• What a real shift work champion actually lo...
