December 14, 2025 • 19 mins
Text me what you thought of the show 😊
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, and deep sleep.
• circadian rhythm as a mood and hormone regulator
• how desynchronisation raises stress and lowers emotional control
• frontline roles and increased vulnerability to mental ill health
• common coping tools that backfire: alcohol, nicotine, energy drinks
• morning light and outdoor time as foundational anchors
• simple routines for wake, meals, and wind-down on changing rosters
• steady nutrition with protein, fibre, and lower GI foods
• movement over exercise and why short walks work
• caffeine cut-off at 12 for better sleep
• sleep hygiene, blackout rooms, and masks for deeper rest
• practical steps to break the sleep–mood spiral
If you need help with this, I’ve got 40 years of experience and I’m happy to help you to work through how to synchronize your circadian rhythm in a desynchronized world. The link is in the show notes
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe so you get notified whenever a new episode is released
It would also be ever so helpful if you could leave a rating and review on the app you’re currently listening on
If you want to know more about me or work with me, you can go to ahealthyshift.com
----------------------------
ANNOUNCING
"The Shift Workers Collective"
https://join.ahealthyshift.com/the-shift-workers-collective
Click the link to learn all about it
-----------------------------
YOU CAN FIND ME AT
_____________________
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.
_______________________
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (03:17):
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, and24-7 shift worker for almost
four decades.
Through this podcast, I aim toeducate shift workers using
evidence-based methods to notonly survive the rigors of shift
(03:40):
work, but thrive.
My goal is to empower shiftworkers to improve their health
and well-being so they have moreenergy to do the things they
love.
Enjoy today's show.
And welcome back to anotherepisode of a healthy shift
podcast.
My name, I am your guide, RogerSutherland, you know who I am,
(04:04):
and I'm here to guide youthrough the minefield that is
actually shift work from a livedexperience.
Not from a research perspective,from someone who's actually
lived it for 40 years.
And what I do is I read theresearch and I learn and
understand, and then I applywhat I'm learning into your
(04:27):
shift working world because Iknow what works and what
doesn't.
I've done it for a long time.
And while I may not know exactlywhat your job is, I certainly
know what that feeling is like.
So what I want to do today, Iactually want to talk about
something that most shiftworkers feel, but you won't
(04:47):
always understand.
And I think you'll find you'llactually have a bit of a light
bulb moment today in relation tothose impacts that you get at
certain times around your mentalhealth, why you feel flat, why
you can feel really ordinary.
Um, and shift work takes a majortoll on our mental health.
(05:08):
And I just wanted to discussthat because, in fairness, I've
struggled of late, and I I'vedone really well, and I've spent
many, many years working onmyself after sanctuary trauma
caused PTSD in my role inVictoria Police, and it led to
me being ill-health retired.
And I've done a lot of work overthe last, what, four years to
(05:33):
navigate that.
And every now and again it comesup, and it can be other things
that actually trigger it.
But what I want to do is I wantto talk about a few of the
things that actually trigger itas a result of shift work.
Now, let's just take what you dofor a job out of it just for one
second, all right?
Because today I want to talkabout how mental health is
(05:57):
actually tied to your bodyclock.
And when that clock is out ofsync, your mind actually pays
the price.
And it's a vicious circle thatwe go in here because what we do
is we have mental healthproblems and then we don't
sleep.
And that not sleeping causesmental health problems.
(06:19):
And that is literally what itactually does and how it goes
about.
And somewhere along the line,you have to actually break into
the cycle to reverse that.
And let's talk about that today.
I think it's something that'sreally important.
Let's talk about how circadiandisruption does affect your
mental health.
Because your circadian rhythmisn't just a sleep timer, it
(06:41):
controls mood, it controls yourhormones, your energy, your
appetite, it controls yourstress tolerance and also your
emotional stability.
Have a think about those nightswhen you haven't had that good
sleep, you've really struggled.
Think about the domino effect ofhow everything seems to go
wrong.
And it does, because everythingis out of sync in your body, and
(07:04):
that is the circadiandisruption.
Now, when shift work pulls yoursleep and light exposure and
eating patterns all over theplace, you actually get what we
call circadiandesynchronization.
And this is when your brain andyour body are no longer running
on the same schedule.
And this is important tounderstand.
(07:26):
And this is where the mentalhealth problems start.
And if you think about yourrole, and I'm talking to you,
nurses, polices, polices,nurses, police, paramedics,
people like that, or people inemergency services and working
on the front line, people whoare emergency dispatchers, radio
(07:46):
dispatchers, and all of thosetypes of people, think about
those times of when you'rereally suffering with your
mental health and the circadiandesynchronization.
So here is what actuallyhappens.
Take a note, and this is whereyou can identify where the
problems are.
Number one, you get a lower moodand a higher stress.
(08:09):
Now, why does this occur?
It's because your body isproducing cortisol at the wrong
times.
And what happens is this canleave you feeling really flat
when you actually need energyand wired when you actually want
to rest.
So everything's all haywirethere, and this is what
circadian desynchronizationcauses.
You get to the stage where youstruggle with emotional
(08:32):
regulation.
Your brain is actually usingcircadian signals to keep your
emotions steady.
And when those signals start toget scrambled, you can feel more
reactive, more sensitive, and along lot less in control.
You can get more anxiety, poorsleep, and irregular routines
(08:52):
increase that fight or flightresponse.
And your brain becomes jumpy.
Your thoughts actually speed up.
You can lose cognitive strength.
Your concentration drops.
Think about it.
When you get tired, you justcannot possibly think straight.
Memory slips, simple taskssuddenly feels so much harder.
Now, this is not weakness, it'sactually biology.
(09:14):
This is what is going on.
And then you become morevulnerable to depression because
circadian disruption affectsserotonin and dopamine.
Remember, our circadian rhythmis a hormonal regulator.
It tells what hormones are to bereleased and when.
And exposure to light and thingsat different times are causing
(09:35):
us problems.
So when they drift out of range,of course, our mood drops.
And this is why many shiftworkers feel so off, they can
feel overwhelmed or unlikethemselves.
And it's not character, it'sliterally timing.
So why common coping copingstrategies actually make this
(09:55):
worse?
What do we reach for when we'resuffering with our mental
health?
Let's talk about that.
Because many shift workers willlean on alcohol to relax and
sleep, nicotine, energy drinks,or they're overeating to take
the edge off it.
Now look, don't get me wrong, Iabsolutely get why.
Because it's quick and it'sactually familiar.
(10:16):
Oh, I need a drink to relax.
People are on the Siggy's.
Oh, I'm stressed.
I need a Siggy.
The energy drinks, those monsterenergy drinks that people are
slamming down all the time.
And we get to the stage wherewe're chasing a dopamine hit, so
we're overeating, chasing thatthose highly palatable
carbohydrates and fats.
Then we feel guilty and itimpacts on our mental health
(10:37):
again.
As I said, I get this.
I know why.
I've been there.
It's quick, it's familiar, itactually works, and it works
instantaneously.
But these coping tools arehitting the same systems that
are already disrupted andcausing bigger problems.
How?
Alcohol.
Alcohol, while it is a relaxant,I agree with that, it actually
(10:58):
fragments your sleep.
Sleep.
This is what we need.
When we're suffering with ourmental health, we need to be
getting synchronized light daysignals and proper sleep.
Because what happens is when oursleep is fragmented, it actually
increases our anxiety the nextday and then it worsens
depression.
Nicotine spikes stress hormonesand it interrupts our natural
(11:20):
sleep weight cycle again.
Both of those make the mentalload heavier.
Now, shift workers don't needmore load.
What they need is actual routineand stability.
So what actually helps yourmental health, right?
So if you feel yourself reallystruggling, and as I've said to
you before, this is where I'vebeen over the last few weeks.
(11:42):
Now you don't know what goes onin the background here, but I
can tell you there's beensignificant battles inside
myself.
But because of the pillars thatI've put in place of the
strategies, I'm able to lookwithin and look in and see what
I'm not actually getting rightand put the strategies in place.
And these are the strategiesthat I put in place.
(12:03):
Number one, no surprise here,get early light exposure when
possible.
Why?
Because morning light anchorsyour circadian rhythm, it tells
your brain what time it is.
And what this does is itactually steadies your mood, it
lowers your stress, and itsharpens up your focus.
(12:24):
So if you're coming off nightshift, you want to get daylight
asap as soon as you wake up.
Now, I want to be clear on this.
We're not talking light, we'retalking daylight outside.
We want to be getting thatdaylight outside.
The point is this give yourbrain a very clear and very
(12:45):
consistent cue as to where it'sat in time and space.
And we do this through light,daylight.
The other number two is to keepregular routines where you can.
Because shift work won't giveyou a perfect structure.
You can't, and you might say,Oh, well, and throw it all, your
hands in the air, and that's it.
(13:07):
But what you can do is you cancontrol your anchors, you can
wake your wake time after yournight shift, your meal timing,
your wind-down habits, yourbedtime routines on your days
off.
These are all anchors that helpto synchronize your circadian
rhythm and literally calm downyour nervous system.
A desynchronized circadianrhythm equals a highly agitated
(13:31):
nervous system as well.
And we can end up living in thatsympathetic state, and you can't
live there, trust me.
Number three is to eatnutritious food on a steady
schedule.
Now I know you think you can't,but you absolutely can.
Your gut also has its own clock,and when you eat random or heavy
meals overnight, your gutdisrupts the signal that
(13:54):
influences your mood.
So prioritize those whole foods,fiber, protein, steady meal
times, lower GI foods.
What this does is helps tostabilize your blood sugar, it
helps to stabilize both yourenergy, which helps to stabilize
your mood.
Protein and fiber.
(14:14):
Lower GI is what we need.
Number four is to move yourbody.
Now you don't I don't wantpeople to think of it as
exercise.
Exercise has the connotation ofI've got to put my runners on,
got to put my shorts on, I'vegot to put my my um singlet on,
or I've got to put my crop on,or I've got to do whatever, I've
(14:37):
got to go out, I've got to run,it's gonna hurt, it's gonna be a
problem.
Oh my god, gotta get to the gym,don't want to do that.
I wonder who's there, oh it'sgonna be busy.
Can you see all of the thingsthat go through your mind when
you think exercise?
Let's change it and call itmovement.
You don't have to do longworkouts.
I can tell you now, just gettingout and going for a walk a few
(15:00):
times around the block, just 10to 20 minutes will literally
improve your mood by increasingdopamine and serotonin and will
reduce cortisol.
Movement and walking isliterally one of the strongest
tools that you have in yourtoolbox.
Now, while resistance trainingis fantastic for you, and
(15:21):
everybody should be resistancetraining, without any doubt
whatsoever.
But movement is very important,and walking is highly
underrated.
Walking out in that green light,and you might think, where's the
green light?
The green is what's reflectingoff everyone's lawns, off
everyone's plants, off thetrees.
That green light is very calmingto you.
(15:43):
It's very calming to yournervous system.
So get out in the early part ofthe day and move your body.
It's another cue to yourcircadian rhythm, where it is at
in time and space.
One of the most important thingsis to keep alcohol and nicotine
low or actually completely avoidthem.
Not for moral reasons, but forliterally mental health reasons.
(16:05):
Well, not to mention the factthat alcohol and nicotine are
both incredibly unhealthy.
They're both poisons and toxinsin the body.
Both of them make sleep worse,and they also make your mood a
lot less stable.
Now you cannot heal a disruptedsystem by adding more
disruption.
Now I'm fortunate because Idon't drink anymore.
(16:28):
I gave up alcohol.
In fact, it was a New Year'sresolution, 2023, and I haven't
touched a drop of alcohol since,and I feel so much better for
it.
Now I'm not telling you you'vegot to give up, but what I'm
saying to you is when you arestruggling, it's an easy spiral
to go into.
Alcohol, nicotine, drugs,whatever, it can cause you all
(16:49):
sorts of problems.
So start to reduce those.
And the other thing, and themost important, which is the
last one, is to protect yoursleep like your mental health
depends on it.
And do you know why?
Because it actually does.
So you need to set up acompletely dark sleeping space.
Completely dark.
(17:10):
And when I say that, I mean whenyou lie in bed, if you hold your
hand outstretched, with your armoutstretched, and you can see
your hand at the end of yourarm, it is too light in your
bedroom.
And you actually need to getyourself a sleep mask.
Or you need to get blackoutblinds, or you need something.
(17:31):
You need to darken your room tothe stage where you cannot see
your hand at the end of youroutstretched arm.
Very important.
And clients of mine that areusing sleep masks now, or
people, the feedback that I getfrom people that are using this
mantle sleep mask is phenomenal.
People can't believe how muchbetter they're sleeping, they
can't believe how comfortablethey are, they can't believe
(17:51):
that how much of an impactsomething so simple can make on
their sleep.
Yes, it's it's a goodinvestment, it's a very, very
good investment for you.
So try that.
We need wind-down cues.
We need a sleep hygiene, aroutine to go to sleep.
(18:12):
Whether you're on day shift,afternoon shift, night shift, it
doesn't matter what shift you'reon, if you've got a routine to
get into bed and go to sleep,then what you'll find is that
your body will cue into we aregoing to sleep because of that
routine.
This is the best way of goingabout it.
Have a sleep hygiene.
Avoid caffeine late in theshift.
(18:33):
In fact, use the 12 o'clock rulethat I put in place.
12 o'clock.
No alcohol, no, sorry, nocaffeine after 12 o'clock.
Day shift, afternoon shift,nothing after 12 midday.
Night shift, nothing after 12midnight.
If you stick to that rule,you'll be amazed at how much
better you sleep.
(18:54):
And then you've got less needfor caffeine.
Once again, we're breaking intothat cycle.
So that's all I wanted to say onthis today, but I did want to
tell you that it's not just whatyou're being exposed to, but
what you're being exposed to isyou are less vulner more
(19:15):
vulnerable with circadiandesynchronization.
And this is one of the mainreasons why people in these
roles, like nursing and policingand paramedics and fireers,
struggle, first respondersstruggling with mental health
more because they're morevulnerable, not only because of
what they're being exposed to,but through circadian
(19:36):
disruption.
Shift work makes it a lot harderbecause it disrupts the very
symptom that keeps you stable.
But you are not powerless, andI've shown you, and I'm working
through this myself with all ofthose simple strategies.
They are what actually helpsyou.
Doesn't hinder you, helps you.
Light, routine, food, movement,and sleep are all incredibly
(20:01):
strong anchors to help tosynchronize your circadian
rhythm.
So reduce the coping tools thatmake things worse and strengthen
the foundations that keep yourmind steady.
Small steps will help you tofeel like yourself again.
And if you need help with this,I've got 40 years of experience
and I'm happy to help you towork through how to synchronize
(20:23):
your circadian rhythm in adesynchronized world.
The link is in the show notes,and I'll talk to you on the next
one.
Thank you for listening.
If you enjoyed this episode, besure to subscribe so you get
notified whenever a new episodeis released.
(20:45):
It would also be ever so helpfulif you could leave a rating and
review on the app you'recurrently listening on.
If you want to know more aboutme or work with me, you can go
to ahealthyshift.com.
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, and24-7 shift worker for almost
four decades.
Through this podcast, I aim toeducate shift workers using
evidence-based methods to notonly survive the rigors of shift
(03:40):
work, but thrive.
My goal is to empower shiftworkers to improve their health
and well-being so they have moreenergy to do the things they
love.
Enjoy today's show.
And welcome back to anotherepisode of a healthy shift
podcast.
My name, I am your guide, RogerSutherland, you know who I am,
(04:04):
and I'm here to guide youthrough the minefield that is
actually shift work from a livedexperience.
Not from a research perspective,from someone who's actually
lived it for 40 years.
And what I do is I read theresearch and I learn and
understand, and then I applywhat I'm learning into your
(04:27):
shift working world because Iknow what works and what
doesn't.
I've done it for a long time.
And while I may not know exactlywhat your job is, I certainly
know what that feeling is like.
So what I want to do today, Iactually want to talk about
something that most shiftworkers feel, but you won't
(04:47):
always understand.
And I think you'll find you'llactually have a bit of a light
bulb moment today in relation tothose impacts that you get at
certain times around your mentalhealth, why you feel flat, why
you can feel really ordinary.
Um, and shift work takes a majortoll on our mental health.
(05:08):
And I just wanted to discussthat because, in fairness, I've
struggled of late, and I I'vedone really well, and I've spent
many, many years working onmyself after sanctuary trauma
caused PTSD in my role inVictoria Police, and it led to
me being ill-health retired.
And I've done a lot of work overthe last, what, four years to
(05:33):
navigate that.
And every now and again it comesup, and it can be other things
that actually trigger it.
But what I want to do is I wantto talk about a few of the
things that actually trigger itas a result of shift work.
Now, let's just take what you dofor a job out of it just for one
second, all right?
Because today I want to talkabout how mental health is
(05:57):
actually tied to your bodyclock.
And when that clock is out ofsync, your mind actually pays
the price.
And it's a vicious circle thatwe go in here because what we do
is we have mental healthproblems and then we don't
sleep.
And that not sleeping causesmental health problems.
(06:19):
And that is literally what itactually does and how it goes
about.
And somewhere along the line,you have to actually break into
the cycle to reverse that.
And let's talk about that today.
I think it's something that'sreally important.
Let's talk about how circadiandisruption does affect your
mental health.
Because your circadian rhythmisn't just a sleep timer, it
(06:41):
controls mood, it controls yourhormones, your energy, your
appetite, it controls yourstress tolerance and also your
emotional stability.
Have a think about those nightswhen you haven't had that good
sleep, you've really struggled.
Think about the domino effect ofhow everything seems to go
wrong.
And it does, because everythingis out of sync in your body, and
(07:04):
that is the circadiandisruption.
Now, when shift work pulls yoursleep and light exposure and
eating patterns all over theplace, you actually get what we
call circadiandesynchronization.
And this is when your brain andyour body are no longer running
on the same schedule.
And this is important tounderstand.
(07:26):
And this is where the mentalhealth problems start.
And if you think about yourrole, and I'm talking to you,
nurses, polices, polices,nurses, police, paramedics,
people like that, or people inemergency services and working
on the front line, people whoare emergency dispatchers, radio
(07:46):
dispatchers, and all of thosetypes of people, think about
those times of when you'rereally suffering with your
mental health and the circadiandesynchronization.
So here is what actuallyhappens.
Take a note, and this is whereyou can identify where the
problems are.
Number one, you get a lower moodand a higher stress.
(08:09):
Now, why does this occur?
It's because your body isproducing cortisol at the wrong
times.
And what happens is this canleave you feeling really flat
when you actually need energyand wired when you actually want
to rest.
So everything's all haywirethere, and this is what
circadian desynchronizationcauses.
You get to the stage where youstruggle with emotional
(08:32):
regulation.
Your brain is actually usingcircadian signals to keep your
emotions steady.
And when those signals start toget scrambled, you can feel more
reactive, more sensitive, and along lot less in control.
You can get more anxiety, poorsleep, and irregular routines
(08:52):
increase that fight or flightresponse.
And your brain becomes jumpy.
Your thoughts actually speed up.
You can lose cognitive strength.
Your concentration drops.
Think about it.
When you get tired, you justcannot possibly think straight.
Memory slips, simple taskssuddenly feels so much harder.
Now, this is not weakness, it'sactually biology.
(09:14):
This is what is going on.
And then you become morevulnerable to depression because
circadian disruption affectsserotonin and dopamine.
Remember, our circadian rhythmis a hormonal regulator.
It tells what hormones are to bereleased and when.
And exposure to light and thingsat different times are causing
(09:35):
us problems.
So when they drift out of range,of course, our mood drops.
And this is why many shiftworkers feel so off, they can
feel overwhelmed or unlikethemselves.
And it's not character, it'sliterally timing.
So why common coping copingstrategies actually make this
(09:55):
worse?
What do we reach for when we'resuffering with our mental
health?
Let's talk about that.
Because many shift workers willlean on alcohol to relax and
sleep, nicotine, energy drinks,or they're overeating to take
the edge off it.
Now look, don't get me wrong, Iabsolutely get why.
Because it's quick and it'sactually familiar.
(10:16):
Oh, I need a drink to relax.
People are on the Siggy's.
Oh, I'm stressed.
I need a Siggy.
The energy drinks, those monsterenergy drinks that people are
slamming down all the time.
And we get to the stage wherewe're chasing a dopamine hit, so
we're overeating, chasing thatthose highly palatable
carbohydrates and fats.
Then we feel guilty and itimpacts on our mental health
(10:37):
again.
As I said, I get this.
I know why.
I've been there.
It's quick, it's familiar, itactually works, and it works
instantaneously.
But these coping tools arehitting the same systems that
are already disrupted andcausing bigger problems.
How?
Alcohol.
Alcohol, while it is a relaxant,I agree with that, it actually
(10:58):
fragments your sleep.
Sleep.
This is what we need.
When we're suffering with ourmental health, we need to be
getting synchronized light daysignals and proper sleep.
Because what happens is when oursleep is fragmented, it actually
increases our anxiety the nextday and then it worsens
depression.
Nicotine spikes stress hormonesand it interrupts our natural
(11:20):
sleep weight cycle again.
Both of those make the mentalload heavier.
Now, shift workers don't needmore load.
What they need is actual routineand stability.
So what actually helps yourmental health, right?
So if you feel yourself reallystruggling, and as I've said to
you before, this is where I'vebeen over the last few weeks.
(11:42):
Now you don't know what goes onin the background here, but I
can tell you there's beensignificant battles inside
myself.
But because of the pillars thatI've put in place of the
strategies, I'm able to lookwithin and look in and see what
I'm not actually getting rightand put the strategies in place.
And these are the strategiesthat I put in place.
(12:03):
Number one, no surprise here,get early light exposure when
possible.
Why?
Because morning light anchorsyour circadian rhythm, it tells
your brain what time it is.
And what this does is itactually steadies your mood, it
lowers your stress, and itsharpens up your focus.
(12:24):
So if you're coming off nightshift, you want to get daylight
asap as soon as you wake up.
Now, I want to be clear on this.
We're not talking light, we'retalking daylight outside.
We want to be getting thatdaylight outside.
The point is this give yourbrain a very clear and very
(12:45):
consistent cue as to where it'sat in time and space.
And we do this through light,daylight.
The other number two is to keepregular routines where you can.
Because shift work won't giveyou a perfect structure.
You can't, and you might say,Oh, well, and throw it all, your
hands in the air, and that's it.
(13:07):
But what you can do is you cancontrol your anchors, you can
wake your wake time after yournight shift, your meal timing,
your wind-down habits, yourbedtime routines on your days
off.
These are all anchors that helpto synchronize your circadian
rhythm and literally calm downyour nervous system.
A desynchronized circadianrhythm equals a highly agitated
(13:31):
nervous system as well.
And we can end up living in thatsympathetic state, and you can't
live there, trust me.
Number three is to eatnutritious food on a steady
schedule.
Now I know you think you can't,but you absolutely can.
Your gut also has its own clock,and when you eat random or heavy
meals overnight, your gutdisrupts the signal that
(13:54):
influences your mood.
So prioritize those whole foods,fiber, protein, steady meal
times, lower GI foods.
What this does is helps tostabilize your blood sugar, it
helps to stabilize both yourenergy, which helps to stabilize
your mood.
Protein and fiber.
(14:14):
Lower GI is what we need.
Number four is to move yourbody.
Now you don't I don't wantpeople to think of it as
exercise.
Exercise has the connotation ofI've got to put my runners on,
got to put my shorts on, I'vegot to put my my um singlet on,
or I've got to put my crop on,or I've got to do whatever, I've
(14:37):
got to go out, I've got to run,it's gonna hurt, it's gonna be a
problem.
Oh my god, gotta get to the gym,don't want to do that.
I wonder who's there, oh it'sgonna be busy.
Can you see all of the thingsthat go through your mind when
you think exercise?
Let's change it and call itmovement.
You don't have to do longworkouts.
I can tell you now, just gettingout and going for a walk a few
(15:00):
times around the block, just 10to 20 minutes will literally
improve your mood by increasingdopamine and serotonin and will
reduce cortisol.
Movement and walking isliterally one of the strongest
tools that you have in yourtoolbox.
Now, while resistance trainingis fantastic for you, and
(15:21):
everybody should be resistancetraining, without any doubt
whatsoever.
But movement is very important,and walking is highly
underrated.
Walking out in that green light,and you might think, where's the
green light?
The green is what's reflectingoff everyone's lawns, off
everyone's plants, off thetrees.
That green light is very calmingto you.
(15:43):
It's very calming to yournervous system.
So get out in the early part ofthe day and move your body.
It's another cue to yourcircadian rhythm, where it is at
in time and space.
One of the most important thingsis to keep alcohol and nicotine
low or actually completely avoidthem.
Not for moral reasons, but forliterally mental health reasons.
(16:05):
Well, not to mention the factthat alcohol and nicotine are
both incredibly unhealthy.
They're both poisons and toxinsin the body.
Both of them make sleep worse,and they also make your mood a
lot less stable.
Now you cannot heal a disruptedsystem by adding more
disruption.
Now I'm fortunate because Idon't drink anymore.
(16:28):
I gave up alcohol.
In fact, it was a New Year'sresolution, 2023, and I haven't
touched a drop of alcohol since,and I feel so much better for
it.
Now I'm not telling you you'vegot to give up, but what I'm
saying to you is when you arestruggling, it's an easy spiral
to go into.
Alcohol, nicotine, drugs,whatever, it can cause you all
(16:49):
sorts of problems.
So start to reduce those.
And the other thing, and themost important, which is the
last one, is to protect yoursleep like your mental health
depends on it.
And do you know why?
Because it actually does.
So you need to set up acompletely dark sleeping space.
Completely dark.
(17:10):
And when I say that, I mean whenyou lie in bed, if you hold your
hand outstretched, with your armoutstretched, and you can see
your hand at the end of yourarm, it is too light in your
bedroom.
And you actually need to getyourself a sleep mask.
Or you need to get blackoutblinds, or you need something.
(17:31):
You need to darken your room tothe stage where you cannot see
your hand at the end of youroutstretched arm.
Very important.
And clients of mine that areusing sleep masks now, or
people, the feedback that I getfrom people that are using this
mantle sleep mask is phenomenal.
People can't believe how muchbetter they're sleeping, they
can't believe how comfortablethey are, they can't believe
(17:51):
that how much of an impactsomething so simple can make on
their sleep.
Yes, it's it's a goodinvestment, it's a very, very
good investment for you.
So try that.
We need wind-down cues.
We need a sleep hygiene, aroutine to go to sleep.
(18:12):
Whether you're on day shift,afternoon shift, night shift, it
doesn't matter what shift you'reon, if you've got a routine to
get into bed and go to sleep,then what you'll find is that
your body will cue into we aregoing to sleep because of that
routine.
This is the best way of goingabout it.
Have a sleep hygiene.
Avoid caffeine late in theshift.
(18:33):
In fact, use the 12 o'clock rulethat I put in place.
12 o'clock.
No alcohol, no, sorry, nocaffeine after 12 o'clock.
Day shift, afternoon shift,nothing after 12 midday.
Night shift, nothing after 12midnight.
If you stick to that rule,you'll be amazed at how much
better you sleep.
(18:54):
And then you've got less needfor caffeine.
Once again, we're breaking intothat cycle.
So that's all I wanted to say onthis today, but I did want to
tell you that it's not just whatyou're being exposed to, but
what you're being exposed to isyou are less vulner more
(19:15):
vulnerable with circadiandesynchronization.
And this is one of the mainreasons why people in these
roles, like nursing and policingand paramedics and fireers,
struggle, first respondersstruggling with mental health
more because they're morevulnerable, not only because of
what they're being exposed to,but through circadian
(19:36):
disruption.
Shift work makes it a lot harderbecause it disrupts the very
symptom that keeps you stable.
But you are not powerless, andI've shown you, and I'm working
through this myself with all ofthose simple strategies.
They are what actually helpsyou.
Doesn't hinder you, helps you.
Light, routine, food, movement,and sleep are all incredibly
(20:01):
strong anchors to help tosynchronize your circadian
rhythm.
So reduce the coping tools thatmake things worse and strengthen
the foundations that keep yourmind steady.
Small steps will help you tofeel like yourself again.
And if you need help with this,I've got 40 years of experience
and I'm happy to help you towork through how to synchronize
(20:23):
your circadian rhythm in adesynchronized world.
The link is in the show notes,and I'll talk to you on the next
one.
Thank you for listening.
If you enjoyed this episode, besure to subscribe so you get
notified whenever a new episodeis released.
(20:45):
It would also be ever so helpfulif you could leave a rating and
review on the app you'recurrently listening on.
If you want to know more aboutme or work with me, you can go
to ahealthyshift.com.
I'll catch you on the next one.
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