The Healthy Shift Worker

26/05/2026

I still pause when I see this…

My book on a library shelf.
Written for shift workers.

The chapters tell the same story in different ways:

- Sleep deprivation
- Weight gain
- Stress
- Immune depletion
- Relationship strain

Not as isolated problems—but as connected outcomes of ongoing circadian disruption.

Nothing about shift work is random.
It’s biology under strain.

So when I see my book on a shelf—whether in a library, a bookstore, or on a table in a workplace—I don’t just think about a book I wrote.

I think about what it represents.

A resource that meets someone exactly where they are.

Gives them language for what they’re experiencing.

And a sense of hope that there are real, practical ways to support the body while navigating the reality of working 24/7.

Audra x

P.S: Have you ever read something that made you feel truly “understood”?

22/05/2026

I spent 20+ years working shift work — across 3 airlines at 1 airport.

Here are 15 things I wish I’d been taught before I started (but never was):

1. You can’t out-supplement circadian disruption.
2. Night shift changes more than sleep — it changes metabolism.
3. Fatigue isn’t laziness; it’s biology.
4. Eating at 2am affects the body differently than eating at 2pm.
5. Light is one of the most powerful metabolic signals.
6. Sleep timing matters just as much as sleep quantity.
7. Most shift workers are blamed for symptoms caused by their schedules.
8. Coffee is not a replacement for recovery.
9. Blood sugar regulation becomes harder with circadian disruption.
10. Gut health follows a body clock too.
11. Morning sunlight is free medicine for the brain and body.
12. Movement doesn’t need to be extreme to be effective.
13. Recovery is productive.
14. Burnout often starts with biological mismatch.
15. Circadian health literacy should be basic health education.

📌 What would you add to the list?

18/05/2026

Ever Feel "Awake but Not Switched On"? 😴

We’ve all been there.

Your alarm goes off at 2 AM (or 2 PM), you’re physically out of bed, you’ve had your first coffee, but your brain is still stuck in low gear.

You’re "up," but you’re definitely not "ready."

If you feel like you’re constantly fighting brain fog at the start of your shift, there’s a biological reason for it—and it’s not just about how much sleep you got.

The Science of the "Wake-Up Fog"

Our bodies don’t actually wake up just because an alarm goes off.

We rely on a biological process called the Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR). This is a natural surge of cortisol that should happen within 30-45 minutes of waking to clear out the grogginess and give you alert, functional energy.

The problem for us as shift workers is that our internal clocks are often out of sync with our schedules. When you wake up at a time your body doesn't expect, that vital wake-up signal can be:

- Blunted: It’s just too weak to do the job.
- Delayed: It takes hours to finally kick in.
- Mistimed: It happens when you’re already halfway through your shift.

This is why so many of us end up relying on massive amounts of caffeine just to feel human.

How to Bridge the Gap: Movement as a Signal

When your hormones aren't sending the right signal, you can use movement to do it instead. By using specific, gentle motions, you can manually "tell" your brain and nervous system that it’s time to wake up.

In our Shiftd community, I teach a Qigong-inspired "Move to Wake Up" routine designed specifically for this. These movements aren't a workout—they are a signal. They help to:

- Increase circulation and mimic the natural "rising" phase of alertness.
- Gently shift your nervous system out of sleep mode.
- Activate your brain's arousal networks without causing stress or burnout.

Take Control of Your Energy

You don't have to just "suffer through" the first few hours of every shift.

By adding a few minutes of intentional movement to your wake-up routine, you can achieve better mental clarity, reduce your caffeine dependency, and feel more consistent throughout your work day (or night).

Remember: You are a human first, and a worker second. Taking care of your biology is the first step to feeling better on and off the clock.

Audra x

♻️ Share with a colleague that needs to read this.

Want to learn the specific movements we use? Join us over at Shiftd, our online community dedicated specifically to helping shift workers.

Click to join here - https://www.skool.com/shiftd-moving-beyond-247-6890

15/05/2026

Thoughts on the below? 👇

Do you have tight-turnarounds on your roster and if so, what is the time frame?

11/05/2026

Most shift workers don’t actually wake up gently.

You probably don’t either.

It’s more like this:

👉 your alarm jolts you awake
👉 bright artificial light hits your eyes straight away
👉 you’re immediately rushing
👉 your brain is already running through the shift ahead

And in that moment, your body doesn’t slowly come online…

It *switches on stress mode*.

Often with a quick cortisol spike before you’ve even had a chance to properly wake up.

Then what usually happens next?

👉 you reach for caffeine
👉 you add another stimulant signal
👉 you try to “push through” and speed yourself up even more

But here’s the part most people miss:

By the time you’ve even started your shift, you’re not actually low on energy…

You’re already running on a stacked stress response.

And what feels like “I need more energy” is often your body quietly saying:

*“I actually need a bit of calm first.”*

This is where things like Movement and Breath change the game.

Not exercise.

Regulation.

Because if you slow things down just a little through gentle movement paired with slower, intentional breathing—you start to shift your system out of that immediate stress response.

It can help you:

→ soften that wired-but-tired feeling
→ improve oxygen delivery
→ calm the nervous system
→ build a steadier, more usable alertness

Instead of forcing yourself awake with more stimulation… AKA caffeine...

You’re guiding your body into wakefulness with rhythm, breath, and sensory input.

Because energy isn’t always about doing more.

Sometimes it’s about taking away what’s pushing you too hard in the first place.

Audra x

♻️ Repost or share will a colleague who needs to read this.

Join our free community 'Shiftd' if you're wanting to learn more strategies like this (link below)

Link to join is here - https://www.skool.com/shiftd-moving-beyond-247-6890

07/05/2026

Night shifters — are you eating through the night to help “push through fatigue”?

If so… this might actually be working against you.

Because one of the most overlooked drivers of low energy in shift work isn’t just sleep.

It’s the gut, or digestive system, being asked to operate at the wrong time.

Here’s the part most people never get told:

The gut is not designed to work continuously 24/7.

It has its own built-in housekeeping system called the Migrating Motor Complex (MMC).

Think of it as an internal clean-up wave that only switches on during fasting periods.

When it’s running, it helps to:

* clear out leftover food and debris
* reduce bacterial overgrowth
* support gut repair and reset

But here’s the catch.

Every snack, bite, or “quick energy fix” turns it off.

So frequent grazing through the night =
👉 no clean-up cycle
👉 no digestive reset
👉 no true gut recovery

Why this matters specifically for shift workers:

When this rhythm is repeatedly disrupted, it can show up as:

* bloating or abdominal discomfort
* reflux after night eating
* irregular bowel habits
* increased gut sensitivity
* that lingering, heavy fatigue that doesn’t lift

And it tends to compound when eating is pushed deeper into the biological night.

The mismatch most people miss:

Even when you’re awake and working overnight, your gut is still biologically primed for:

* fasting
* repair
* clearance

Not constant digestion.

So overnight snacking isn’t really “supporting energy” in the way it feels in the moment.

It’s keeping the digestive system switched on when it should be getting a chance to switch off and reset.

A practical shift-friendly approach:

Where possible:

* Aim for your largest meal during daylight hours
* Reduce continuous grazing across the night shift
* Create longer gaps between eating windows when you can

Because sometimes the real issue with fatigue isn’t just sleep debt.

It’s that the digestive system is never given permission to stop working.

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♻️ Repost or share will a colleague who needs to read this.

Join our free community 'Shiftd' if you're wanting to learn more strategies like this (link below)

https://www.skool.com/shiftd-moving-beyond-247-6890

01/05/2026

Most shift workers don’t prepare for a night shift.

They just… turn up.

Maybe with a coffee. Maybe with a bit (or a lot) of willpower.

But very few actually sleep beforehand.

And that’s a problem.

Because biologically, a night shift is performed at the worst possible time for human alertness—right when your circadian rhythm is pushing you toward sleep.

Research consistently shows that shift workers are already starting from a deficit:

- Over 60% of night shift workers report short sleep duration

- Many are operating on 5–6 hours of sleep or less

So when they head into a 10–12 hour night shift without a pre-sleep…

They’re not just a bit tired.

They’re biologically impaired.

Here’s where it gets interesting:

Strategic pre-sleep (even a short nap) before a night shift has been shown to:

- Improve alertness

- Reduce fatigue

- Support safer performance on shift

In fact, sleep guidelines specifically recommend sleeping just before a night shift where possible ... which let's face it - makes total sense.

And yet…

Most shift workers don’t treat pre-sleep as part of their job.

They treat it as optional.

Or worse—skip it entirely because “I couldn’t fall asleep anyway.”

But that’s like trying to run a marathon without fueling beforehand.

A pre-sleep routine isn’t about forcing sleep.

It’s about creating the conditions for sleep to happen at the wrong time of day.

Not ideal, but essential.

Because night shift performance doesn’t start at 7pm.

It starts at 2pm.

Well before your shift officially begins.



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28/04/2026

You wake up… and reach for something to get you going.

For most shift workers, that’s coffee.

But here’s something worth understanding:

**If your first drink of the day is coffee — before water — you’re starting on the back foot.**

Whether you’re waking at 5am or 5pm, your body begins in a mildly dehydrated state.

And for shift workers, this is amplified by:
• Irregular sleep timing
• Dry, air-conditioned environments
• Circadian disruption

So your brain is already working with a fluid deficit.

Now add caffeine on top of that.

Yes — coffee can increase alertness… but here’s the catch:

Caffeine is a mild diuretic and can temporarily increase fluid loss, especially in people who aren’t regularly hydrated. More importantly, it doesn’t actually correct the underlying dehydration your brain is already dealing with on waking.

And that matters because:

**Your brain is extremely sensitive to fluid balance.**

Even mild dehydration can:
• Reduce cerebral blood flow
• Slow neurotransmitter activity
• Impair focus and reaction time
• Increase fatigue and irritability

So when you go straight to coffee, you’re essentially:
👉 stimulating a dehydrated brain
instead of
👉 rehydrating and then stimulating it

That’s a very different physiological state.

Now compare that to water first.

**Water on waking helps:**
• Rehydrate brain cells and neurons
• Restore blood flow efficiency
• Improve alertness naturally
• Prime cognitive function before caffeine

Then, if you still want coffee — it actually works better. Because it’s acting on a hydrated system, not a depleted one.

And in shift work?

That difference shows up in:
✔ clarity
✔ mood
✔ focus
✔ decision-making

So this isn’t about “don’t drink coffee.”

It’s about sequence.

**Water first. Coffee second.**

Because how you start your shift matters more than most people realise.

Audra x



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If you're wanting to learn more strategies to help you navigate some of the challenges around working 24/7 - feel free to join our community of fellow shift workers at 'Shiftd.'

A community dedicated to helping shift workers navigate some of the many challenges faced whilst working 24/7.

14/04/2026

Shift workers be aware ...

**You’re likely not just eating the wrong foods.**

You’re eating in the wrong *environment.*

And your body knows it.

That’s why it can show up as:
→ Weight gain
→ High blood pressure
→ Blood sugar swings

It’s not just about *what* you eat…

It’s about the **light your body is in when you eat.**

👉 Your body uses light like a metabolic signal.

When you eat in **daylight**:
→ Your body is primed to digest
→ Insulin works better
→ Energy gets used (not stored)

When you eat in **dim light or at night**:
→ Digestion slows
→ Blood sugar control worsens
→ Your body shifts into storage mode

This is called **mal-illumination**.

And if you’re a shift worker, you’re hit with it *daily*:
→ Eating at the wrong biological time
→ Under artificial lighting
→ Sending mixed signals to your metabolism

Over time, this can feel like:
→ Constant fatigue
→ Cravings that don’t make sense
→ Brain fog on shift
→ Struggling to recover between shifts

👉 So if you feel like your body is “working against you”… it kind of is.

But here’s the shift:

Stop focusing only on *what* you eat.

Start paying attention to **when and in what light you eat.**

Try this:
→ Eat your main meal during daylight (whenever possible)
→ Get natural light before or during meals
→ Avoid big meals under artificial light at night

Because…

**You don’t just metabolise food.**
**You metabolise food in a light environment.**

Audra x

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➕ To learn more tips like this to help you to stay healthy whilst working 24/7, head on over to our Skool Community - Shiftd.

https://www.skool.com/shiftd-moving-beyond-247-6890

07/04/2026

I used to be a trainer for Qantas, working closely with new hires stepping into the wonderful world of aviation.

And over time, I noticed something interesting…

It was never the people with the most airline experience who became the best employees.

It was the adaptable ones.

The ones who could roll with change, think on their feet, and adjust when things didn’t go to plan (which, in aviation… is often).

But there was another pattern I couldn’t ignore.

The people who resigned within the first 30-90 days?

- They weren’t less capable.
- They weren’t less motivated.

They were blindsided.

Blindsided by something I now call the “shift work expectation gap”.

Quite simply, no one had really told them what the hours would feel like.

- The early starts.
- The late finishes.
- The constant rotation.
- The impact on sleep, health, relationships… life.

And when reality hit — it hit hard.

Because expectations hadn’t been set from Day 1.

In fact… they hadn’t even been set before Day 1.

Here’s the truth most organisations miss:

👉 Recruitment isn’t just about skills.
It’s about readiness.

What if, during the recruitment process, we were more honest about:

– The types of rosters people will be working
– What that actually looks like week to week
– The real impact on their biology and lifestyle

And then asked a simple but powerful question:

“Is prioritising your health something you’re willing to commit to in this role?”

And better yet…
What if we told them upfront:

“As part of your training, we’ll teach you how to handle this.”

A simple Shift Work Readiness component woven into onboarding.

Because here’s the reality:

If you don’t prepare people for the lifestyle…
You’ll end up paying for it in turnover.

And let’s be honest —
It’s far more expensive to keep hiring
than it is to properly prepare the people who are most likely to stay.

The best employees aren’t just trained for the job.
They’re prepared for the life that comes with it.

Audra x

💾 Save and share this with someone you know that overseas shift work hiring and onboarding.

01/04/2026

20 years.
2 employers.
Zero guidance on how to work shift work.

It wasn’t until I left that I figured it out.

- I went and studied nutrition—and while meal composition matters, it only solved part of the puzzle.

- I went and studied sleep physiology—critical for recovery, but still not the full answer.

The light-bulb moment came when I started to look closer at timing.

Through a circadian lens, also known as circadian biology.

Because the truth is…
we’re all walking around with fancy internal clocks ⏰

Hormones, energy, alertness, metabolism—
everything runs on timing, guided by the signals our body receives throughout the day and night.

When that timing is off (hello, shift work)…
things feel harder than they need to.

This is where circadian health literacy changes everything.

And it’s something shift workers should learn from Day 1.

Not years later.

Because with the right approach, we can:
- Sleep better 🛏
- Have more consistent energy 🍽
- Stay alert when it matters ☀️
- Recover properly between shifts 🔄

It’s not about pushing through.

It's not about becoming more "resilient".

It’s about working with our biology.

Something I wish I’d been taught when I first started shift work all those years ago.

Can you relate??

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If this type of education is missing in your workplace too, it’s exactly what I now cover in my Shift Work Readiness programs. Feel free to DM me for more info.