July 17, 2025 • 27 mins
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Shift work disrupts our natural circadian rhythms, but with the right strategies, we can protect our health and energy while finding better work-life balance. I share eight practical tips to help shift workers not just survive but thrive, based on almost four decades of experience.
• Set a consistent sleep schedule with regular wake-up times, even on days off
• Create a bedroom environment that's dark, quiet, and cool (15-20°C) using blackout curtains or sleep masks
• Avoid caffeine after midnight on night shifts or after midday at other times
• Remember alcohol and nicotine negatively impact sleep quality despite feeling relaxing
• Exercise regularly but avoid vigorous activity within 3-4 hours of bedtime
• Make deliberate efforts to stay connected with friends and family outside your workplace
• Master the 20-30 minute power nap without falling into deep sleep
• Use natural light exposure strategically and consider blue light blocking glasses
• Establish relationships with healthcare providers before you're struggling
Don't forget to share this episode with your workmates or anyone navigating shift work. For more resources, visit ahealthyshift.com where you can also join the Shift Workers Collective, our subscription-based community where we support each other 24-7.
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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.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
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 24-7shift worker for almost four
decades.
Through this podcast, I aim toeducate shift workers, using
evidence-based methods, to notonly survive the rigours of
(00:29):
shift work, but thrive.
My goal is to empower shiftworkers to improve their health
and wellbeing so they have moreenergy to do the things they
love.
Enjoy today's show and welcomeback to A Healthy Shift, the
podcast for shift workers whonot only want to feel better,
(00:49):
live healthier and take controlof their work-life balance, no
matter what the hours are thatyou're working.
I'm Roger Sutherland, a veteranshift worker coach, a keynote
speaker and your guide tostaying healthy while living the
shift work life, because youcan.
Now, in today's episode, we'retalking about something that's
(01:10):
going to affect every single oneof us on shifts how to adjust
to shift work.
Now, today, I'm going to besharing eight practical tips
that can make a real differenceto your energy, your sleep and
your overall wellbeing.
So, if you are a new shiftworker or you're trying to
adjust to shift, energy, yoursleep and your overall wellbeing
.
So, if you are a new shiftworker, or you're trying to
adjust to shift work, or even ifyou've been at it for years but
(01:32):
you still find it hard.
This one is, for all of you Now, the problem with shift work.
No secret, shift work is tough.
Our bodies were never designedfor it.
We're biologically wired to beawake when it's light and asleep
when it's dark.
But the reality is hospitals,police stations, emergency
(01:53):
services, manufacturing we justrun a 24-7 society today, and in
fact, I can tell you thatapproximately 20% of the world's
population are now designatedshift workers and if you think
about it, that means one in fivepeople are falling into the
(02:14):
category as a shift worker andas someone who's had to fill
those hours that someone is.
People like you and me, we'veboth done it, we've all done it.
We are doing it Now.
The trouble is, shift work playshavoc with our circadian rhythm
, which is our internal bodyclock, and that can lead to poor
sleep, which then leads tofatigue, which then leads to
(02:36):
digestion problems, which thenleads to low mood, and then,
before you know it, you'reactually having long-term health
issues.
And if we don't manage it well,then these problems literally
just become a cancer in oursystem and we've got to get on
top of it and we've got tocontrol it.
And there are ways and here'sthe good news you can actually
(03:00):
adjust to shift work.
I know you don't believe it,but there are strategies that
you can do and that's what I'mhere to talk to you about today.
Those strategies and that's whyI'm here doing what I do today
to help you, the shift worker,to cope, to thrive, giving you
more energy to do the thingsthat you love outside of your
(03:22):
job, so it's not sucking thelife out of you, things that you
love outside of your job, soit's not sucking the life out of
you.
Now we can't do it perfectly,but we can actually do it in a
way that protects our health,protects our energy and also
protects our quality of life.
So let's look at what eightpractical tips I've actually got
for you today.
Number one you ready.
(03:42):
Set a consistent sleep schedule.
Leave me to write the jokes,rog.
Now, I know this is the big one, because our body absolutely
loves routine and shift workdisrupts that routine in a big
way.
But one thing that I would tryto say to you, and one thing
that I've learned that makes anenormous difference, is to try
(04:04):
and anchor your sleep wake-uptime as consistently as possible
.
Don't worry about the time yougo to bed Not at this stage,
right, because we can't alwayscontrol that but what we can do
is we can try and anchor oursleep wake-up time consistently
and you get bonus points if youcan go to bed at an earlier time
(04:24):
as well.
People say to me oh, I need tostay up late to unwind after
shift.
No, you don't.
You need to learn how to winddown quickly and rapidly so that
you can get to sleep, so thatyou can get up at the same time.
The more out of sync with thisroutine that you are, the worse
you're going to actually feel.
So the most important thing isthat consistent wake-up time.
(04:46):
We're now learning that it'snot about the amount of time
you're asleep, it's more aboutthe consistency of your sleep
routine and when you can controlit, you absolutely should.
Most important, even yourrotating shifts.
We've got to try and find someconsistency, even if it's just
in your wake-up time or yourwind-down routine.
(05:07):
As I said before, we've got towind down quickly.
We've got to get to the stagewhere we can leave work, wind
down quickly and get to sleep.
This going home and havingdrinks and playing video games
and watching TV and threeepisodes of something on Netflix
and going to bed and thensleeping in.
No wonder you've got issues.
This is what's causing theproblems Now.
(05:30):
This means to resist thetemptation to stay up late on
your days off.
If you feel like you need moresleep, go the hell to bed
earlier.
That's what I will say.
Your roster doesn't have tocontrol your life.
You can actually work with itand not against it.
That's tip number one.
All right, consistent wake-uptime.
(05:51):
I think the most important thingfor you to remember out of this
one here, most important youcan't catch up on sleep.
I know you think you can.
You can't.
You're actually throwingyourself further and further out
.
The longer you sleep in onthose odd days, those two days
you get off, or that one day youget off, the bigger the problem
(06:11):
you're actually going to have.
Now.
The next thing that we've gotto really focus on is we've got
to stand at our door and we'vegot to look into our bedroom and
we've got to go.
How comfortable does that look?
Does it look like somewherethat I really, really need to
sleep?
Excuse me, you need to treatsleep like it is the sacred cow.
Your bedroom should feel like acave.
(06:34):
It needs to be dark, it needsto be quiet, it needs to be cool
.
If you're sleeping during theday, I highly highly recommend a
sleep mask.
Highly recommend a sleep mask.
Once you get used to it, thedifference is absolutely
unbelievable.
Or if you've got a roller blindor blackout curtains, go you.
(06:54):
But the rule is hold your handout at arm's length and turn it
to face you and if you can seeyour hand, it is too light and
your body won't rest properlyand this is why a lot of people
wake up.
If noise is an issue like kidsor traffic or neighbors, then
what we need is we need thingslike an earplug or a white noise
(07:16):
machine.
White noise machines arephenomenal.
Now, I'm not talking abouthaving a crackling fire or rain
or a storm, I'm talking actualwhite noise.
There is research behind whitenoise.
Google white noise and what itsounds like, and then you will
find that that will make anenormous difference to your
sleep, because your brainfocuses on that.
It doesn't hear the clicking inand out of the hot water
(07:40):
service or the heater orwhatever.
It doesn't notice it.
And temperature really mattersas well, and the sweet spot for
our sleep is somewhere between15 and 20 degrees Celsius.
Too hot, too cold, and yoursleep quality will suffer
Somewhere between 15 and 20, 18to 20, probably even better.
All right, keep that in mind,make it a rule.
(08:02):
There's only three things thatyour bedroom is for.
I'll tell you All three of themstart with S.
One is sleep.
I'll tell you all three of themstart with S.
One is sleep, the other one issickness, and you can guess what
the other one is.
That starts with S-E-X.
I mean starts with S, nothingelse.
(08:24):
No phones, no Netflix.
We don't lie in bed watching TV, no scrolling.
We have to protect that spaceand teach our body that this is
where we either sleep, we'resick or we're having sex, end of
story, and that's it.
And it makes such a bigdifference to our whole
environment by doing that.
Tip number three we've got toavoid caffeine, alcohol and
nicotine before bed.
This is one of the things thatI see all the time oh, I've got
(08:46):
to come home and I've got tohave a couple of drinks.
No, you don't.
You think you do, but you don't.
Alcohol is actually impactingon the quality of your sleep.
Nicotine is also a stimulantand it will cause you problems
as well.
And caffeine same deal.
Caffeine is in your system forup to 12 hours and it is
(09:07):
impacting on your subsequentsleep for nearly nine hours.
So what we need to do is weneed to make sure that we're not
putting caffeine in, and I wantyou to remember this the less
caffeine you have, the less youneed it.
It's that simple.
The less caffeine you have, thebetter the sleep, the less you
need the caffeine and nicotine.
(09:29):
Well, that's an issue thatyou've got to deal with
personally, and alcohol is notsomething that you need.
It's something that I cut outof my life and it's made an
enormous difference.
And you can too.
No good complaining aboutmum-tum and chicken wings and
all the problems that we'rehaving with dad bod if we're
going to have a couple of beersbefore we go to bed because it's
(09:50):
impacting on our sleep.
Now, shift workers lean oncaffeine and we can actually
manipulate it and use this atthe right times.
But coffee energy drinks we dowhatever we can to stay alert on
shift, but the problem comeswhen you have too much too late,
and I've talked about how longcaffeine stays in your system,
(10:10):
but you really do need to cut,and I use this golden rule every
day midnight or midday nocaffeine after midnight, when
you're on night shift, nocaffeine after midday at any
other time.
If you do that, the quality ofyour sleep will improve.
Not may will improve, I canguarantee it.
(10:30):
So if you need a little boostovernight, you'd be surprised at
the difference that water canmake herbal tea.
And if you love coffee, whatabout decaf?
Yes, it's got a bit of caffeinein it, but not enough to be a
major concern.
But a bit of decaf, you canstill taste the coffee.
I know it's a bit of a whybother?
But you know what?
(10:51):
You still get the taste of it.
You can still feel like you'rehaving it.
The next one is tip four, andthat is moving your body.
But you've got to time it right, because exercise is one of the
best tools for a shift worker,full stop.
Now, when we think of exercise,I don't want you to think of oh,
you've got to put your shortson your sing.
You think of exercise.
I don't want you to think of oh, you've got to put your shorts
(11:11):
on.
You, single it on.
You're runners and you've gotto go to the gym and you've got
to lift heavy weights.
That's rubbish, as beneficialas that is to people who do it
and I'm one of them.
I love it and I do it all thetime but we've just got to get
(11:33):
some form of movement because itboosts our mood, it helps our
digestion, it supports ourmetabolism and here's the key
exercise actually helps toregulate our body clock.
That's right.
It's one of the cues for ourcircadian rhythm.
So when we exercise, and weexercise at the same time every
day, we're actually telling ourbody where it's at in time and
space.
If you aim for about 30 minutesmost days, whether it's walking
or strength training, going fora swim, doing Pilates, doing
(11:55):
yoga, whatever works for you, itdoesn't matter, just get it at
the same time.
Timing matters, just get it atthe same time every day.
But you've got to resist doingit too close to bedtime because
it can actually make it a lotharder for you to fall asleep.
It stimulates your centralnervous system and it won't
allow you to fall asleep.
(12:15):
Something like yoga can beideal, obviously because of the
nature of it, but you wouldn'twant to go resistance training,
lifting heavy on the way homefrom an afternoon shift before
you're going to go to bed.
It's going to impact on yoursleep.
Coupled with the caffeine Endof story and those pre-workouts
that you're having 13 hoursbefore sleep, it will impact 13
(12:39):
hours.
So if you have it at sixo'clock in the morning, you
can't go to bed until seveno'clock at night Makes a big
difference.
Well, when I say you can't, youcan go to bed, but it's going
to impact on your sleep.
So don't exercise too close tobedtime because it can actually
make it a lot harder for you tofall asleep.
You've got to give that centralnervous system a chance to calm
down.
So try to schedule movement forat least three to four hours
(13:01):
before you are planning onsleeping.
Even something like a briskwalk after your shift, it can
really make such a bigdifference.
It really does make adifference, trust me.
There's no downside to any formof movement for at least 30
minutes every single day.
Tip number five is one that'sreally, really important and
(13:23):
that's staying connected withyour loved ones, because you can
drift apart very, very quickly.
Shift work can be lonely.
When you're working whileothers are sleeping, or you're
sleeping while others are living, it's really easy to become
incredibly disconnected and thatloneliness will literally start
to creep into your mentalhealth.
(13:44):
Mark my words.
So you've got to make aconscious effort to stay in
touch with the people who matterto you.
Now reduce that friendshipcircle.
It's okay to reduce it, but youmust have people in it.
You've just got to makearrangements.
Organize a coffee catch-up witha friend, plan a meal together.
(14:06):
Even just checking with a textmessage or a quick phone call
with someone, but schedule it inand plan it and do it because
human connection really matters.
And try and do it with peopleoutside of your job so that you
are getting away from your job.
Have a circle of friends thatyou can call on outside of where
(14:27):
you work, so that you get a bitof normality in life instead of
getting caught in this vortexof talking about work at work,
at home and also socially.
Now, I always say that shiftwork doesn't have to mean social
isolation, because it doesn't.
It's just important that youmake the effort to actually
(14:50):
connect and do that.
That's tip number five.
Number six take short naps whenneeded.
Napping is a shift worker'sabsolute superpower.
As a shift worker, there willbe times when you are dead set,
running on empty.
I know that.
(15:10):
But a short nap can actuallysave you, and if you feel like
you can't nap because you feellike it takes you too long to
come out of it, then you've notnapped, you've actually slept.
It needs to be 20 to 30 minutesmaximum, just enough to release
that sleep pressure, refreshyou, without sending you into
(15:34):
that deep sleep where you wakeup with that sleep inertia,
which none of us want.
That sleep inertia is when youfeel really groggy and you just
cannot wake up and you wish toGod you'd never laid down.
That is sleep inertia is whenyou feel really groggy and you
just cannot wake up and you wishto God you'd never laid down.
That is sleep inertia.
If you nap for 20 to 30 minutes, that won't happen.
It's just really important thatyou just power nap and learn
(15:55):
how to power nap.
Put that eye mask on, lay onthe couch and have that power
nap.
It makes a world of difference.
Now, this can be especiallyhelpful before a night shift or
even if you've had broken sleepduring the day just to have that
20 to 30 minute nap before yougo in.
It can literally belife-changing.
Some people call it a power napand they are absolutely spot on
(16:17):
.
Just keep it short.
Try not to nap too close toyour main sleep time.
All right, so don't come homeafter day shift and lounge
around until four o'clock andthen sleep for an hour and a
half, because, yeah, that'sgoing to impact on your night's
sleep.
Of course, it is Tip numberseven use light to your
advantage.
Light is one of the mostpowerful tools In fact, it is
(16:41):
the most powerful tool toliterally adjust your body clock
when you want to feel awake andalert.
You need to get that.
Bright daylight.
Natural daylight is best.
The lights inside your houseare not enough.
There's insufficient blue lightin them.
There's less than 20% blue andwe need more than that.
So we need to get outside inthe daylight.
(17:03):
Even on an overcast, wet,dreary, miserable day daylight
is still better, with betterquality blue in it, than it is
inside your house.
Grab that coffee and go and sitoutside for an hour, half an
hour, just go and do that,simple.
But when you want to wind downand when you want to go to sleep
, this is when we need to dimthe lights.
We need to avoid all screensand we need to block that blue
(17:26):
light.
Night shift workers, whenyou're coming home, use blue
light blocking glasses on theway home to avoid triggering
your brain into seeing blue andthinking, oh, it's daytime,
because that daylight thatyou're getting is the blue light
that triggers our brain intobeing awake.
There's some shift workers andI've got clients that use light
(17:49):
therapy lamp to actually giveyou light, like proper light, so
that you are telling your bodyit's awake time.
If you're getting very littlenatural light, this can really
help you.
This can help with your mood,your energy and even sleep
regulation.
Think about how you feel in thewintertime when you go to work
in the dark, come home in thedark, you don't see any natural
(18:11):
daylight.
You start to get what we callSAD, seasonal Affective Disorder
.
It's no mistake that we feelmiserable during the day in the
winter, and how good we feel inthe summer.
It's because of the light andit makes such a massive, massive
big difference to us All.
(18:32):
Right, so light, using light toyour advantage, just 20 minutes
to half an hour in the morningwhen you first wake up, can make
a huge difference.
When you first wake up, canmake a huge difference.
And my final tip, and one of themost important, is to get help
(18:52):
if you are struggling and Iwould highly recommend that you
start and you establish arelationship with some form of
therapist, psychologist orsomeone along the way from early
in your shift working career,because shift work is going to
impact on your mental health andthey will see the change.
Start those conversations withyour doctor Continually.
Check in with your doctor.
Find one that you've got allthe time.
I've been with my doctor for 20years and he knows the ins and
(19:16):
outs of me literally.
But he had noticed the changesin me with my mental health.
He saw the changes.
It wasn't a battle.
I didn't have to go and seedoctor with my mental health.
He saw the changes.
It wasn't a battle.
I didn't have to go and see DrHowlong or whatever.
He saw the changes.
He knew the changes because heknew how different I had become
and what had actually happened.
And it means that you're notstarting at rock bottom when you
(19:36):
need to get that support.
When you buy a car, your firstservice is at 1,500 kilometers
and then you get it serviced atevery 10,000 kilometers or 5,000
or 10,000 kilometers after that, and you do that to give it a
grease and oil change, and youshould be doing the same with
yourself as well all the time.
Go and talk about it.
Go and clear it out.
Go and have a relationship withyour therapist.
(19:59):
Go and form a relationship sothat they can see the changes
your therapist.
Go and form a relationship sothat they can see the changes,
because when you are reallystruggling, sleep can actually
feel quite impossible.
Your mood can reallydeteriorate, you get really
tired.
This is the time for you to askfor help, because it could mean
you need to speak to yourdoctor or seeing a sleep
specialist or talking to someoneabout your own mental health.
(20:23):
Now I've coached so many shiftworkers who thought they just
had to suck it up, but actuallya few small changes or even the
right advice had actuallyquickly turned things around,
and I can think of half a dozenclients that we've literally
turned it all around justthrough my own experience in
coaching them to make such amassive difference in their life
(20:45):
for them, and that isincredibly rewarding for me.
Now, I don't profess to be acounsellor, but what I do is
help people with like theseeight tips, which helps them to
support their own mental healthwith what they're doing, because
they don't realise how it'sslipping away from them, and I
want you to know you don't haveto do this alone.
(21:06):
There are tools, there'sresources, there's people like
me who can help you with shiftwork, from just surviving to
actually thriving in shift work.
That's literally what I'm herefor.
I did the 40 years in the cops.
I know what it's like.
I know what it's like how youfeel.
I know the isolation.
I know what it's like to raisea family.
(21:27):
I've got two children of my own.
Well, they're not childrenanymore, they're doing that job
themselves and I support themthrough that.
But this is a situation that weall need support, and we do,
and I'm here.
But there's so many tools andresources.
So, closing thoughts, let'sjust quickly recap the eight
tips.
(21:47):
One is set a consistent sleepschedule.
At least wake up at the sametime.
Create a comfortable sleepenvironment.
Stand at the doorway to yourbedroom and look in and say is
that a really inviting place tobe?
If it's cluttered, your sleep'sgoing to be cluttered.
Be.
If it's cluttered, your sleep'sgoing to be cluttered.
Avoid caffeine, alcohol andnicotine before bed.
(22:07):
They will impact on your sleep,not.
Oh, it doesn't affect me.
Yes, it does.
End of story.
Yeah, you can have caffeine andyou can go to sleep.
No doubt I can do that, but itdoesn't mean I'm getting good,
deep, restorative sleep.
What it means is when I wake, Ican't go back to sleep.
Move your body regularly, someform of movement.
You don't have to go and dosome body pump class.
(22:30):
You can literally just go anddo yoga or Pilates or something
like that.
Go for a walk Simple, stayconnected with people, take
short naps, learn it's asuperpower.
Use light to your advantage andget help if you are really
struggling.
Remember you can't alwayscontrol the shift, but you can
(22:51):
control how you support yourselfaround the shift, and that's
what you have to do.
All right, if you found thisepisode helpful, I'd love you to
share it with your workmates orwith a colleague, or just share
it to your Instagram story soothers can learn from it as well
.
And if anyone else is navigatingthe world of shift work, share
it with them as well.
And don't forget, I've gotloads more resources to help you
(23:14):
at ahealthyshiftcom Plus.
I've got the Shift WorkersCollective there, which is our
growing subscription-basedcommunity where we all support
each other 24-7.
I want to say thanks forlistening.
My name is Roger Sutherland andthis has been a healthy shift.
I want you to take care and Ireally and truly want you to
stay well and find more energyto do the things that you love
(23:38):
outside of your shift workinglife.
Thank you for listening.
If you enjoyed this episode, besure to subscribe so you get
notified whenever a new episodeis released.
It would also be ever sohelpful if you could leave a
(23:59):
rating and review on the appyou're currently listening on.
If you want to know more aboutme or work with me, you can go
to ahealthyshiftcom.
I'll catch you on the next one.
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 24-7shift worker for almost four
decades.
Through this podcast, I aim toeducate shift workers, using
evidence-based methods, to notonly survive the rigours of
(00:29):
shift work, but thrive.
My goal is to empower shiftworkers to improve their health
and wellbeing so they have moreenergy to do the things they
love.
Enjoy today's show and welcomeback to A Healthy Shift, the
podcast for shift workers whonot only want to feel better,
(00:49):
live healthier and take controlof their work-life balance, no
matter what the hours are thatyou're working.
I'm Roger Sutherland, a veteranshift worker coach, a keynote
speaker and your guide tostaying healthy while living the
shift work life, because youcan.
Now, in today's episode, we'retalking about something that's
(01:10):
going to affect every single oneof us on shifts how to adjust
to shift work.
Now, today, I'm going to besharing eight practical tips
that can make a real differenceto your energy, your sleep and
your overall wellbeing.
So, if you are a new shiftworker or you're trying to
adjust to shift, energy, yoursleep and your overall wellbeing
.
So, if you are a new shiftworker, or you're trying to
adjust to shift work, or even ifyou've been at it for years but
(01:32):
you still find it hard.
This one is, for all of you Now, the problem with shift work.
No secret, shift work is tough.
Our bodies were never designedfor it.
We're biologically wired to beawake when it's light and asleep
when it's dark.
But the reality is hospitals,police stations, emergency
(01:53):
services, manufacturing we justrun a 24-7 society today, and in
fact, I can tell you thatapproximately 20% of the world's
population are now designatedshift workers and if you think
about it, that means one in fivepeople are falling into the
(02:14):
category as a shift worker andas someone who's had to fill
those hours that someone is.
People like you and me, we'veboth done it, we've all done it.
We are doing it Now.
The trouble is, shift work playshavoc with our circadian rhythm
, which is our internal bodyclock, and that can lead to poor
sleep, which then leads tofatigue, which then leads to
(02:36):
digestion problems, which thenleads to low mood, and then,
before you know it, you'reactually having long-term health
issues.
And if we don't manage it well,then these problems literally
just become a cancer in oursystem and we've got to get on
top of it and we've got tocontrol it.
And there are ways and here'sthe good news you can actually
(03:00):
adjust to shift work.
I know you don't believe it,but there are strategies that
you can do and that's what I'mhere to talk to you about today.
Those strategies and that's whyI'm here doing what I do today
to help you, the shift worker,to cope, to thrive, giving you
more energy to do the thingsthat you love outside of your
(03:22):
job, so it's not sucking thelife out of you, things that you
love outside of your job, soit's not sucking the life out of
you.
Now we can't do it perfectly,but we can actually do it in a
way that protects our health,protects our energy and also
protects our quality of life.
So let's look at what eightpractical tips I've actually got
for you today.
Number one you ready.
(03:42):
Set a consistent sleep schedule.
Leave me to write the jokes,rog.
Now, I know this is the big one, because our body absolutely
loves routine and shift workdisrupts that routine in a big
way.
But one thing that I would tryto say to you, and one thing
that I've learned that makes anenormous difference, is to try
(04:04):
and anchor your sleep wake-uptime as consistently as possible
.
Don't worry about the time yougo to bed Not at this stage,
right, because we can't alwayscontrol that but what we can do
is we can try and anchor oursleep wake-up time consistently
and you get bonus points if youcan go to bed at an earlier time
(04:24):
as well.
People say to me oh, I need tostay up late to unwind after
shift.
No, you don't.
You need to learn how to winddown quickly and rapidly so that
you can get to sleep, so thatyou can get up at the same time.
The more out of sync with thisroutine that you are, the worse
you're going to actually feel.
So the most important thing isthat consistent wake-up time.
(04:46):
We're now learning that it'snot about the amount of time
you're asleep, it's more aboutthe consistency of your sleep
routine and when you can controlit, you absolutely should.
Most important, even yourrotating shifts.
We've got to try and find someconsistency, even if it's just
in your wake-up time or yourwind-down routine.
(05:07):
As I said before, we've got towind down quickly.
We've got to get to the stagewhere we can leave work, wind
down quickly and get to sleep.
This going home and havingdrinks and playing video games
and watching TV and threeepisodes of something on Netflix
and going to bed and thensleeping in.
No wonder you've got issues.
This is what's causing theproblems Now.
(05:30):
This means to resist thetemptation to stay up late on
your days off.
If you feel like you need moresleep, go the hell to bed
earlier.
That's what I will say.
Your roster doesn't have tocontrol your life.
You can actually work with itand not against it.
That's tip number one.
All right, consistent wake-uptime.
(05:51):
I think the most important thingfor you to remember out of this
one here, most important youcan't catch up on sleep.
I know you think you can.
You can't.
You're actually throwingyourself further and further out
.
The longer you sleep in onthose odd days, those two days
you get off, or that one day youget off, the bigger the problem
(06:11):
you're actually going to have.
Now.
The next thing that we've gotto really focus on is we've got
to stand at our door and we'vegot to look into our bedroom and
we've got to go.
How comfortable does that look?
Does it look like somewherethat I really, really need to
sleep?
Excuse me, you need to treatsleep like it is the sacred cow.
Your bedroom should feel like acave.
(06:34):
It needs to be dark, it needsto be quiet, it needs to be cool
.
If you're sleeping during theday, I highly highly recommend a
sleep mask.
Highly recommend a sleep mask.
Once you get used to it, thedifference is absolutely
unbelievable.
Or if you've got a roller blindor blackout curtains, go you.
(06:54):
But the rule is hold your handout at arm's length and turn it
to face you and if you can seeyour hand, it is too light and
your body won't rest properlyand this is why a lot of people
wake up.
If noise is an issue like kidsor traffic or neighbors, then
what we need is we need thingslike an earplug or a white noise
(07:16):
machine.
White noise machines arephenomenal.
Now, I'm not talking abouthaving a crackling fire or rain
or a storm, I'm talking actualwhite noise.
There is research behind whitenoise.
Google white noise and what itsounds like, and then you will
find that that will make anenormous difference to your
sleep, because your brainfocuses on that.
It doesn't hear the clicking inand out of the hot water
(07:40):
service or the heater orwhatever.
It doesn't notice it.
And temperature really mattersas well, and the sweet spot for
our sleep is somewhere between15 and 20 degrees Celsius.
Too hot, too cold, and yoursleep quality will suffer
Somewhere between 15 and 20, 18to 20, probably even better.
All right, keep that in mind,make it a rule.
(08:02):
There's only three things thatyour bedroom is for.
I'll tell you All three of themstart with S.
One is sleep.
I'll tell you all three of themstart with S.
One is sleep, the other one issickness, and you can guess what
the other one is.
That starts with S-E-X.
I mean starts with S, nothingelse.
(08:24):
No phones, no Netflix.
We don't lie in bed watching TV, no scrolling.
We have to protect that spaceand teach our body that this is
where we either sleep, we'resick or we're having sex, end of
story, and that's it.
And it makes such a bigdifference to our whole
environment by doing that.
Tip number three we've got toavoid caffeine, alcohol and
nicotine before bed.
This is one of the things thatI see all the time oh, I've got
(08:46):
to come home and I've got tohave a couple of drinks.
No, you don't.
You think you do, but you don't.
Alcohol is actually impactingon the quality of your sleep.
Nicotine is also a stimulantand it will cause you problems
as well.
And caffeine same deal.
Caffeine is in your system forup to 12 hours and it is
(09:07):
impacting on your subsequentsleep for nearly nine hours.
So what we need to do is weneed to make sure that we're not
putting caffeine in, and I wantyou to remember this the less
caffeine you have, the less youneed it.
It's that simple.
The less caffeine you have, thebetter the sleep, the less you
need the caffeine and nicotine.
(09:29):
Well, that's an issue thatyou've got to deal with
personally, and alcohol is notsomething that you need.
It's something that I cut outof my life and it's made an
enormous difference.
And you can too.
No good complaining aboutmum-tum and chicken wings and
all the problems that we'rehaving with dad bod if we're
going to have a couple of beersbefore we go to bed because it's
(09:50):
impacting on our sleep.
Now, shift workers lean oncaffeine and we can actually
manipulate it and use this atthe right times.
But coffee energy drinks we dowhatever we can to stay alert on
shift, but the problem comeswhen you have too much too late,
and I've talked about how longcaffeine stays in your system,
(10:10):
but you really do need to cut,and I use this golden rule every
day midnight or midday nocaffeine after midnight, when
you're on night shift, nocaffeine after midday at any
other time.
If you do that, the quality ofyour sleep will improve.
Not may will improve, I canguarantee it.
(10:30):
So if you need a little boostovernight, you'd be surprised at
the difference that water canmake herbal tea.
And if you love coffee, whatabout decaf?
Yes, it's got a bit of caffeinein it, but not enough to be a
major concern.
But a bit of decaf, you canstill taste the coffee.
I know it's a bit of a whybother?
But you know what?
(10:51):
You still get the taste of it.
You can still feel like you'rehaving it.
The next one is tip four, andthat is moving your body.
But you've got to time it right, because exercise is one of the
best tools for a shift worker,full stop.
Now, when we think of exercise,I don't want you to think of oh,
you've got to put your shortson your sing.
You think of exercise.
I don't want you to think of oh, you've got to put your shorts
(11:11):
on.
You, single it on.
You're runners and you've gotto go to the gym and you've got
to lift heavy weights.
That's rubbish, as beneficialas that is to people who do it
and I'm one of them.
I love it and I do it all thetime but we've just got to get
(11:33):
some form of movement because itboosts our mood, it helps our
digestion, it supports ourmetabolism and here's the key
exercise actually helps toregulate our body clock.
That's right.
It's one of the cues for ourcircadian rhythm.
So when we exercise, and weexercise at the same time every
day, we're actually telling ourbody where it's at in time and
space.
If you aim for about 30 minutesmost days, whether it's walking
or strength training, going fora swim, doing Pilates, doing
(11:55):
yoga, whatever works for you, itdoesn't matter, just get it at
the same time.
Timing matters, just get it atthe same time every day.
But you've got to resist doingit too close to bedtime because
it can actually make it a lotharder for you to fall asleep.
It stimulates your centralnervous system and it won't
allow you to fall asleep.
(12:15):
Something like yoga can beideal, obviously because of the
nature of it, but you wouldn'twant to go resistance training,
lifting heavy on the way homefrom an afternoon shift before
you're going to go to bed.
It's going to impact on yoursleep.
Coupled with the caffeine Endof story and those pre-workouts
that you're having 13 hoursbefore sleep, it will impact 13
(12:39):
hours.
So if you have it at sixo'clock in the morning, you
can't go to bed until seveno'clock at night Makes a big
difference.
Well, when I say you can't, youcan go to bed, but it's going
to impact on your sleep.
So don't exercise too close tobedtime because it can actually
make it a lot harder for you tofall asleep.
You've got to give that centralnervous system a chance to calm
down.
So try to schedule movement forat least three to four hours
(13:01):
before you are planning onsleeping.
Even something like a briskwalk after your shift, it can
really make such a bigdifference.
It really does make adifference, trust me.
There's no downside to any formof movement for at least 30
minutes every single day.
Tip number five is one that'sreally, really important and
(13:23):
that's staying connected withyour loved ones, because you can
drift apart very, very quickly.
Shift work can be lonely.
When you're working whileothers are sleeping, or you're
sleeping while others are living, it's really easy to become
incredibly disconnected and thatloneliness will literally start
to creep into your mentalhealth.
(13:44):
Mark my words.
So you've got to make aconscious effort to stay in
touch with the people who matterto you.
Now reduce that friendshipcircle.
It's okay to reduce it, but youmust have people in it.
You've just got to makearrangements.
Organize a coffee catch-up witha friend, plan a meal together.
(14:06):
Even just checking with a textmessage or a quick phone call
with someone, but schedule it inand plan it and do it because
human connection really matters.
And try and do it with peopleoutside of your job so that you
are getting away from your job.
Have a circle of friends thatyou can call on outside of where
(14:27):
you work, so that you get a bitof normality in life instead of
getting caught in this vortexof talking about work at work,
at home and also socially.
Now, I always say that shiftwork doesn't have to mean social
isolation, because it doesn't.
It's just important that youmake the effort to actually
(14:50):
connect and do that.
That's tip number five.
Number six take short naps whenneeded.
Napping is a shift worker'sabsolute superpower.
As a shift worker, there willbe times when you are dead set,
running on empty.
I know that.
(15:10):
But a short nap can actuallysave you, and if you feel like
you can't nap because you feellike it takes you too long to
come out of it, then you've notnapped, you've actually slept.
It needs to be 20 to 30 minutesmaximum, just enough to release
that sleep pressure, refreshyou, without sending you into
(15:34):
that deep sleep where you wakeup with that sleep inertia,
which none of us want.
That sleep inertia is when youfeel really groggy and you just
cannot wake up and you wish toGod you'd never laid down.
That is sleep inertia is whenyou feel really groggy and you
just cannot wake up and you wishto God you'd never laid down.
That is sleep inertia.
If you nap for 20 to 30 minutes, that won't happen.
It's just really important thatyou just power nap and learn
(15:55):
how to power nap.
Put that eye mask on, lay onthe couch and have that power
nap.
It makes a world of difference.
Now, this can be especiallyhelpful before a night shift or
even if you've had broken sleepduring the day just to have that
20 to 30 minute nap before yougo in.
It can literally belife-changing.
Some people call it a power napand they are absolutely spot on
(16:17):
.
Just keep it short.
Try not to nap too close toyour main sleep time.
All right, so don't come homeafter day shift and lounge
around until four o'clock andthen sleep for an hour and a
half, because, yeah, that'sgoing to impact on your night's
sleep.
Of course, it is Tip numberseven use light to your
advantage.
Light is one of the mostpowerful tools In fact, it is
(16:41):
the most powerful tool toliterally adjust your body clock
when you want to feel awake andalert.
You need to get that.
Bright daylight.
Natural daylight is best.
The lights inside your houseare not enough.
There's insufficient blue lightin them.
There's less than 20% blue andwe need more than that.
So we need to get outside inthe daylight.
(17:03):
Even on an overcast, wet,dreary, miserable day daylight
is still better, with betterquality blue in it, than it is
inside your house.
Grab that coffee and go and sitoutside for an hour, half an
hour, just go and do that,simple.
But when you want to wind downand when you want to go to sleep
, this is when we need to dimthe lights.
We need to avoid all screensand we need to block that blue
(17:26):
light.
Night shift workers, whenyou're coming home, use blue
light blocking glasses on theway home to avoid triggering
your brain into seeing blue andthinking, oh, it's daytime,
because that daylight thatyou're getting is the blue light
that triggers our brain intobeing awake.
There's some shift workers andI've got clients that use light
(17:49):
therapy lamp to actually giveyou light, like proper light, so
that you are telling your bodyit's awake time.
If you're getting very littlenatural light, this can really
help you.
This can help with your mood,your energy and even sleep
regulation.
Think about how you feel in thewintertime when you go to work
in the dark, come home in thedark, you don't see any natural
(18:11):
daylight.
You start to get what we callSAD, seasonal Affective Disorder
.
It's no mistake that we feelmiserable during the day in the
winter, and how good we feel inthe summer.
It's because of the light andit makes such a massive, massive
big difference to us All.
(18:32):
Right, so light, using light toyour advantage, just 20 minutes
to half an hour in the morningwhen you first wake up, can make
a huge difference.
When you first wake up, canmake a huge difference.
And my final tip, and one of themost important, is to get help
(18:52):
if you are struggling and Iwould highly recommend that you
start and you establish arelationship with some form of
therapist, psychologist orsomeone along the way from early
in your shift working career,because shift work is going to
impact on your mental health andthey will see the change.
Start those conversations withyour doctor Continually.
Check in with your doctor.
Find one that you've got allthe time.
I've been with my doctor for 20years and he knows the ins and
(19:16):
outs of me literally.
But he had noticed the changesin me with my mental health.
He saw the changes.
It wasn't a battle.
I didn't have to go and seedoctor with my mental health.
He saw the changes.
It wasn't a battle.
I didn't have to go and see DrHowlong or whatever.
He saw the changes.
He knew the changes because heknew how different I had become
and what had actually happened.
And it means that you're notstarting at rock bottom when you
(19:36):
need to get that support.
When you buy a car, your firstservice is at 1,500 kilometers
and then you get it serviced atevery 10,000 kilometers or 5,000
or 10,000 kilometers after that, and you do that to give it a
grease and oil change, and youshould be doing the same with
yourself as well all the time.
Go and talk about it.
Go and clear it out.
Go and have a relationship withyour therapist.
(19:59):
Go and form a relationship sothat they can see the changes
your therapist.
Go and form a relationship sothat they can see the changes,
because when you are reallystruggling, sleep can actually
feel quite impossible.
Your mood can reallydeteriorate, you get really
tired.
This is the time for you to askfor help, because it could mean
you need to speak to yourdoctor or seeing a sleep
specialist or talking to someoneabout your own mental health.
(20:23):
Now I've coached so many shiftworkers who thought they just
had to suck it up, but actuallya few small changes or even the
right advice had actuallyquickly turned things around,
and I can think of half a dozenclients that we've literally
turned it all around justthrough my own experience in
coaching them to make such amassive difference in their life
(20:45):
for them, and that isincredibly rewarding for me.
Now, I don't profess to be acounsellor, but what I do is
help people with like theseeight tips, which helps them to
support their own mental healthwith what they're doing, because
they don't realise how it'sslipping away from them, and I
want you to know you don't haveto do this alone.
(21:06):
There are tools, there'sresources, there's people like
me who can help you with shiftwork, from just surviving to
actually thriving in shift work.
That's literally what I'm herefor.
I did the 40 years in the cops.
I know what it's like.
I know what it's like how youfeel.
I know the isolation.
I know what it's like to raisea family.
(21:27):
I've got two children of my own.
Well, they're not childrenanymore, they're doing that job
themselves and I support themthrough that.
But this is a situation that weall need support, and we do,
and I'm here.
But there's so many tools andresources.
So, closing thoughts, let'sjust quickly recap the eight
tips.
(21:47):
One is set a consistent sleepschedule.
At least wake up at the sametime.
Create a comfortable sleepenvironment.
Stand at the doorway to yourbedroom and look in and say is
that a really inviting place tobe?
If it's cluttered, your sleep'sgoing to be cluttered.
Be.
If it's cluttered, your sleep'sgoing to be cluttered.
Avoid caffeine, alcohol andnicotine before bed.
(22:07):
They will impact on your sleep,not.
Oh, it doesn't affect me.
Yes, it does.
End of story.
Yeah, you can have caffeine andyou can go to sleep.
No doubt I can do that, but itdoesn't mean I'm getting good,
deep, restorative sleep.
What it means is when I wake, Ican't go back to sleep.
Move your body regularly, someform of movement.
You don't have to go and dosome body pump class.
(22:30):
You can literally just go anddo yoga or Pilates or something
like that.
Go for a walk Simple, stayconnected with people, take
short naps, learn it's asuperpower.
Use light to your advantage andget help if you are really
struggling.
Remember you can't alwayscontrol the shift, but you can
(22:51):
control how you support yourselfaround the shift, and that's
what you have to do.
All right, if you found thisepisode helpful, I'd love you to
share it with your workmates orwith a colleague, or just share
it to your Instagram story soothers can learn from it as well
.
And if anyone else is navigatingthe world of shift work, share
it with them as well.
And don't forget, I've gotloads more resources to help you
(23:14):
at ahealthyshiftcom Plus.
I've got the Shift WorkersCollective there, which is our
growing subscription-basedcommunity where we all support
each other 24-7.
I want to say thanks forlistening.
My name is Roger Sutherland andthis has been a healthy shift.
I want you to take care and Ireally and truly want you to
stay well and find more energyto do the things that you love
(23:38):
outside of your shift workinglife.
Thank you for listening.
If you enjoyed this episode, besure to subscribe so you get
notified whenever a new episodeis released.
It would also be ever sohelpful if you could leave a
(23:59):
rating and review on the appyou're currently listening on.
If you want to know more aboutme or work with me, you can go
to ahealthyshiftcom.
I'll catch you on the next one.
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