The Healthy Shift Worker

27/08/2026

**Handing in my Qantas uniform was hard… really hard.**

After accepting a voluntary redundancy I was genuinely excited about what lay ahead. But after more than 20 years in aviation, handing back that uniform was still an emotional moment.

It represented the ridiculously early starts, the night shifts, the airport buzz, lifelong friendships - and the laughs shared when everyone was exhausted but somehow kept going.

To this day, I still miss my workmates and that wonderful sense of camaraderie.

The ridiculously early starts? Not quite as much! 😂

But leaving Qantas also gave me the opportunity to explore something I had become incredibly curious about:

**How can we make working shifts feel better?**

Because I knew what it was like to feel exhausted but unable to sleep.

To eat whenever a break finally appeared.

To rely on caffeine to keep going - and then struggle to switch off.

And to want to make healthier choices when your body and your roster didn’t always seem to agree.

That curiosity led me to study Nutritional Medicine and, eventually, circadian biology.

And it helped me understand something that can make a real difference when you work shifts:

It isn’t only about **what** you do.
It’s also about **when** you do it.

When you sleep.
When you eat.
When you have caffeine.
When you see light.

You may not be able to control your roster, but understanding your body clock can help you work with your biology wherever possible - and feel more confident making choices around your shifts.

Looking back, handing in my uniform wasn’t the end of my shift-work story.

It was the beginning of a new chapter - and a new way for me to support the community I will always feel part of.

So I may no longer be on the roster, but I’m still here for the people who are.

Audra x

P.S: If you work shifts, what do you wish someone had taught you on Day One?

17/08/2026

Starting shift work involves learning the job—and learning how to work a completely new kind of schedule.

Early starts, night shifts and changing rosters can take some getting used to, but the right preparation can make that transition so much easier.

If you think this kind of support could benefit your workplace, save this video or share it with someone who helps shape your training and wellbeing programs.

It could spark a really positive conversation about helping new starters feel supported and prepared from day one. 💛

Audra x

10/08/2026

If you're a shift worker, there's a good chance you've been taught **how to do your job at 3am.**

But have you ever been taught how to work when your body thinks it should be asleep?

You probably know the safety procedures.

The fatigue policy.

The WHS requirements.

What to do when something goes wrong.

But what about understanding **what's actually happening inside your body** during those night shifts?

Things like:

✓ Why you're suddenly starving at 2am.
✓ Why that 3am coffee can still be affecting your sleep at 8am.
✓ Why you can feel exhausted but still struggle to switch off after work.
✓ Why what you do in the first hour after your shift can make a difference to your sleep.

And perhaps most importantly:

**What you can actually do about it.**

Because shift work isn't just about changing the hours you work.

You're asking your body to be awake, alert and functioning when its biology is telling it to sleep.

Once you understand what's happening, you can start working **with your biology instead of constantly fighting against it.**

You don't need to become a circadian biology expert.

You just need to know **what your body is doing — and what you can do to support it.**

Because working shifts is a skill.

And nobody should have to figure it all out the hard way.

Audra x

P.S: Is this something that you'd like to see rolled out in your workplace?

** **

29/07/2026

"Your Hormones Work Shifts Too!!"

Whilst it may often feel like it, your body is not broken...

It's just trying to work a different shift to the one you're on.

When we think about shift work, we usually think about the roster:

🌙 Night shifts
🌅 Early starts
🔄 Rotating rosters
⏰ Long hours

But there's another shift happening that most people never talk about.

That your hormones work shifts too.

The difference is...

**For the most part, they don't rotate.**

In other words, your body has its own internal roster — and many of your hormones follow a predictable schedule.

☀️ **Cortisol** helps you wake up, feel alert and mobilise energy for the day ahead.

🍽️ **Insulin** is better equipped to process fuel earlier in your day when your body is naturally more prepared to handle food.

🌙 **Melatonin** signals that it's time to wind down, switch into recovery mode and prepare for sleep.

🛠️ **Growth hormone** helps with overnight repair and recovery while you're sleeping.

The challenge for many shift workers is that your work roster often asks these hormones to clock on at the wrong time.

Eating when your body is preparing for rest.

Using caffeine when your body is trying to transition.

Sleeping when your brain is receiving signals that it should be awake.

It's like asking an airport to run 24/7 without adjusting the systems that keep everything running smoothly.

So whilst it may often feel like your body is working against you...

It's not.

You just need to understand how your biology works, so you can start working *with* it.

Because once you understand your body clock, you can make decisions that better support your energy, recovery and health.

Audra x

💡 Want to learn more about your body's hidden shift roster?

Join **Shift Work Skool** and watch my latest video:

**"Your Hormones Work Shifts Too!"**

https://www.skool.com/shiftworkskool

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14/07/2026

🚨 **What if eating during night shift isn't actually helping you stay awake?**

It's one of the most common pieces of advice shift workers receive:

*"If you're tired, eat something to keep your energy up."*

But what if that advice is based on tradition rather than biology?

In my latest **Fix Your Shift** episode, I explore why your body responds differently to food during the biological night, what the latest research tells us, and why eating a large meal at 2am may not be the best strategy for staying alert.

🎥 Watch the episode here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_91-E60ZG7g

Audra x

🔄 Know someone who works nights? They might find this interesting too so feel free to share!

Join Shift Work Skool - https://www.skool.com/shiftworkskoolThis ...

04/07/2026

Most shift workers think they’re “bad at sleeping.”

But that’s not the real issue.

Shift work keeps your nervous system switched “on” — even when your body is exhausted.

So you lie down tired… but you don’t fully switch off.
That’s why sleep feels light, broken, or unrefreshing.

The real challenge isn’t just a disrupted circadian rhythm.

It’s what happens *on top of that*: your nervous system gets stuck in a state of being unable to fully power down or fully recover.

This is why so many shift workers feel tired… but wired at the wrong times.

Next week inside my Skool community, I’m hosting a live interview with Dr Somya Ramrakhyani from the Art of Living Foundation titled:

**Rest Smarter: Nervous System Tools for Shift Workers**

This isn’t about sleep hygiene.

It’s about learning how to actively shift your body out of “on mode” so sleep actually becomes easier again.

We’ll cover:

- Why daytime sleep feels harder than it should
- The real reason behind shift work fatigue
- Breathwork practices timed to shift transitions
- A direct experience of nervous system regulation through breathwork and meditation

📅 Wednesday, 2pm (Sydney time)
📍 Live inside the Skool community only

👉 Comment **SKOOL** below and I’ll send you the link to join.

Audra x

P.S. If you’re working that day, you can catch the replay inside Skool — but it won’t be available publicly.

02/07/2026

“Just flip your meals.” 🫣
If you work shifts, you’ve probably been given this advice at some point.

It sounds simple. Logical even.
But honestly… it does my head in 😅

Because it assumes your body works the same at all hours of the day.

That you can eat your meals at night and your metabolism will respond the same way it does during the day.

Just shift the timing.

But your body doesn’t work like that.

Your digestion, hormones, and blood sugar regulation all follow a 24-hour rhythm that shifts depending on whether it perceives day or night.

So a late-night meal isn’t just a “delayed lunch.”

It’s a completely different metabolic situation.

This is where things often go wrong for shift workers.

The advice focuses on convenience and scheduling, not biology.

But your metabolism isn’t built around rosters. 🎯

It’s built around light, sleep, and circadian timing.

So instead of asking “how do I flip my meals?” a better question is:

What phase is my body actually in right now?

- Day phase.
- Night phase.
- Recovery phase.

Each one changes how food is processed, used, and stored.

When you start paying attention to biological timing instead of forcing everything into a mirrored version of a normal day, things start to change:

✨ Energy becomes more stable
💡 Digestion feels less chaotic
🚀 Sleep after shifts improves instead of being an afterthought

And the biggest shift?

Food stops being something you’re constantly trying to “fix”… and starts becoming something you time.

What’s the worst shift work nutrition advice you’ve ever been given?

Comment below. 👇

30/06/2026

We’ve spent decades telling shift workers that poor sleep is the main reason blood pressure goes up.
But what if that’s only part of the story?

A recent study placed healthy adults on a simulated night shift schedule.
Everyone worked the same hours.
Everyone slept at the same times.

The only difference was *when they ate*.

One group ate during the night.
The other only ate during the daytime.

The results were striking.

Those eating at night showed changes linked to increased cardiovascular risk.
The daytime eating group did not.

This suggests something important:
*when we eat* may matter just as much as what we eat.

And for shift workers, this is where things get complicated.

You’re awake.
You’re hungry.
So you eat.

But your internal body clock doesn’t know you’re on night shift.
Your heart, liver, pancreas and digestive system are still expecting nighttime to be a period of rest and repair—not digestion.

That mismatch may be quietly contributing to higher blood pressure over time.

This doesn’t mean you have to stop eating on night shift, although this does work for many people.

But it does raise an important question:

Do you actually need your biggest meal at 2 a.m.?

Sometimes protecting your long-term health isn’t about changing WHAT you eat.

It’s about working with WHEN your body is most prepared to handle it.

📌 Link to the research is in the comments.

So here’s the question for you:

When you’re on shift, do you notice your eating patterns change overnight—and have you ever thought about how that might be affecting your blood pressure or long-term health?

Audra x

P.S: If this is something you’re starting to question, I go deeper into these exact patterns inside my Skool community *Fix Your Shift*.

https://www.skool.com/shiftworkskool

You’re welcome to join us there if you want to explore this further.

25/06/2026

Up early this morning to chat live on radio SiriusXM with Dan Ronan in Washington 🇺🇲 for the Road Dog Trucking podcast - a 24-hour channel devoted to the trucking industry.

It was a great opportunity to talk all things driver fatigue through a circadian nutrition lens (chrononutrition) and how food timing impacts energy, alertness and sleep.

Lots of fun discussing a topic I'm passionate about, and hopefully one that helps keep drivers healthier, safer, and better rested. 🚚🙂

Are you a truck driver or know someone that is?

Audra x

24/06/2026

Today is the very first World Circadian Day — a day dedicated to raising awareness of the biological clocks that influence almost every aspect of our health.

For shift workers, circadian rhythms are especially important. Working against the body’s natural timing can impact sleep, energy, metabolism, mood, immune function, and long-term health.

While shift work isn’t always avoidable, understanding how your body clock works can help you make better decisions around sleep, light exposure, nutrition, and recovery.

It’s why circadian health literacy sits at the heart of all my shift worker wellbeing training—because its way easier to prevent a chronic health condition than to reverse it.

Does your workplace incorporate circadian science into the health, wellness & safety of their workforce?

Audra x

P.S: Keen to be part of a movement on reducing the effects of circadian disruption?

Join Shift Work Skool and learn exactly how to do it -
https://www.skool.com/shiftworkskool