Shift Work Burnout – Ten Tips To Help Reduce The Debilitating Effects.

When you work a 24/7 roster which encompasses some pretty ruthless hours, shift work burnout is going to be inevitable.

Considering sleep deprivation is often unavoidable and many employees have to work harder in today’s economic environment – burnout is becoming increasingly common amongst employees around the world.

But can you reduce the effects of shift work burnout?

You bet. And it all begins by watching out for the symptoms.

These may include things like headaches, stomach aches, high blood pressure, back and neck pain and even skin rashes.

They are basically warning signs that your body is not at its optimum.

In fact when you suffer from shift work burnout you can become more susceptible to viruses and other infections.

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HSW 82 – Shift Work Disorder with Dr Jade Murray

In today’s episode, we’re talking about Shift Work Disorder, a condition that can affect those working 24/7 with sleep and circadian rhythm researcher Dr Jade Murray from Monash University in Melbourne.

I absolutely loved this chat with Dr Murray where we discuss:

  • What exactly is shift work disorder?
  • Why do people need to be concerned if they have it?
  • Are certain individuals more prone to the condition, based on their chronotype?
  • Details of a study that Dr Murray is currently conducting on nurses and midwives investigating individual vulnerability to night shift, and how we can better identify individuals who are at risk of Shift Work Disorder (SWD).
  •  3 tips to implement that may assist those suffering from SWD.

Links mentioned on the podcast:

For any nurses and midwives living in Victoria, Australia, that would like to participate in the night shift research study email Dr Murray at med-nightshift@monash.edu

Or search for the link to the study on the Monash University Sleep and Circadian Medicine Laboratory Facebook Page

For shift workers interested in volunteering for other studies through Monash University – Click Here

HSW 63: Managing Stress with Dr Maria Zuschmann


Did you know that working 24/7 puts your body into a state of “biological stress?”  And that’s even before we set foot into a stressful workplace!

It’s for this exact reason, that I’ve invited Dr Maria Zuschmann, a Chiropractor and Personal Performance Coach based in Shell Harbour on the south coast of New South Wales to come in and chat to us on all things to do with stress.

Having been in the wellness industry for over 20 years, Maria also happens to be the voice (and face) behind the Queen of Stress podcast, along with having facilitated 100’s of wellness workshops over the past 14 years.

So if you’re currently feeling stressed, overwhelmed or just downright ‘tired and wired’, then this episode is for you.

In this informative and entertaining episode chatting with Maria, you’re going to learn:

  • What is stress, and why not all stress is bad for us.
  • The 3 main types of stress
  • What makes some people more resilient to stress
  • 3 tips to help you to reduce stress in your shift working life and much, much more!

Links mentioned on the podcast:

Dr Maria’ website – https://drmaria.com.au

Maria’s Queen of Stress Podcast – https://thequeenofstress.com

Healthy Shift Worker – An Oxymoron Or A Reality?

Which one do you believe to be true?

Do you believe it’s possible to be a healthy shift worker?  Because I often have people say to me that it’s a bit of an oxymoron.  That’s it not a reality.  That it’s impossible to remain healthy whilst working 24/7.

Well I’m not going to disagree entirely because let’s face it, it’s no easy feat to feel all “bright and chipper” when faced with a string of early, late or night shifts.

But I most certainly believe it’s possible to be a healthy shift worker.

Because if it wasn’t possible, then every single shift worker on the planet would be unhealthy.  They would ALL have type 2 diabetes, they would ALL be overweight, they would ALL have cardiovascular disease, they would ALL have mental health problems … you get my drift.

But this is definitely not the case.  There are plenty of people who work shiftwork, and remain healthy too.

It’s just hard.  It takes a lot of work.  Self-care, prioritising our health, and having a supportive network of friends and family around you will certainly give you an advantage.

But often it takes more than that.  Often it requires us to form a “tribe” of sorts.  As in surrounding ourselves with other like-minded people who are on a similar mission as ours – that being to work shift work, and remain healthy too.

It’s why I created the Healthy Shift Workers Facebook Group.  A place where other shift workers can come together for help, support and guidance without being judged.

And it’s ONLY for shift workers.

So if you haven’t already done so, and you’d like to become part of this tribe too, then feel free to Click Here and join over 1000 other shift workers from all around the world, and let’s work together to create a ‘healthy-shift-worker-movement’ that stretches all around the globe.

See you on the other side!

Audra x

HSW 55 – Are You “Getting By” On 5-6 Hours Of Sleep – Maybe Even Less?

Healthy Shift Worker Podcast Episode:

This week I reflect on a talk that I delivered at the Wellness Basecamp here in Brisbane last weekend titled “Are You Getting By On 5-6 Hours Of Sleep – Or Maybe Even Less?” because as shift workers we can definitely relate to running on minimal sleep due to our work hours and irregular roster patterns.

What is probably most concerning however, is that right now, according to the World Health Organisation or WHO, we’re currently living in the grips of a global sleep loss epidemic and with that comes negative consequences on our health.  In fact, as stated by the Victorian State Government here in Australia, shift workers get on average 2-3 hours less sleep than other workers which over-time is staggering.

In this episode, I discuss:

  • what happens when we’re sleep deprived
  • how much sleep do we really need
  • along with some actionable steps that you can implement into your own shift working lifestyle that’s going to help to maximize your sleep.

Links mentioned in the podcast:

How To Break Up With Your Phone 30 Day Challenge
Sleep Master Sleep Mask