wellness
Shift Workers and Irregular Sleep: Practical Strategies
Wollongong employees on rotating rosters at local hospitals and industrial sites are adopting timed light exposure and neighbourhood routines to stabilise rest despite overnight shifts.
How we reported this
Wollongong Hospital on Crown Street recorded a 22 per cent rise in staff reporting fatigue-related incidents during the 2025-26 financial year, prompting the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District to trial sleep-support sessions for nurses and orderlies on rotating night duties.
The increase coincides with expanded 24-hour operations at Port Kembla steelworks and the University of Wollongong’s after-hours research labs, where employees finish shifts between 3 am and 7 am then face daylight commutes through Fairy Meadow and North Wollongong that further delay melatonin onset.
Local routines that fit shift patterns
Many workers now schedule short walks along the shared path at Stuart Park immediately after night shifts end, using the coastal breeze and natural light to signal the body that the active period is over. Others book early-morning lanes at the Wollongong Rock Pool on Marine Drive before returning home to darkened bedrooms fitted with blackout blinds purchased for under $180 at hardware stores on Flinders Street.
The Nan Tien Temple’s monthly wellness workshops, held on the first Saturday of each month in Berkeley, include guided breathing sequences designed for people who must sleep during daylight hours; the next session on 1 August costs $25 and runs from 9 am to 11 am.
Evidence that small changes accumulate
A 2024 Australian Bureau of Statistics survey found 16 per cent of employed adults work regular shift patterns, with those on rotating rosters averaging 1.4 fewer hours of restorative sleep per 24-hour period than day workers. Local sleep clinics report that participants who maintain consistent wake times even on rostered days off improve their sleep efficiency scores by 12 to 15 per cent within four weeks.
Shift workers can start tonight by setting a fixed alarm two hours before their usual bedtime, stepping outside for ten minutes of morning light regardless of season, and keeping the bedroom below 19 degrees Celsius with a portable fan. Those who finish after 2 am are advised to avoid caffeine after midnight and to use red-filter phone settings during the commute home along the Princes Highway. Consulting a GP at a Wollongong medical centre remains the first step for persistent symptoms.