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Sleep & Shift Work for Paramedics


Did you know approximately 16% of Australia’s total population, which is roughly 1.4 million Australians are classified as shift workers? Negative effects of physical and psychological health have been linked to shift work, as homeostatic circadian rhythmicity plays a vital role in an individual’s performance and behaviour.


Adverse effects such as excessive sleepiness, depression, chronic sleep disturbances, insomnia, and cognitive impairments have all been commonly reported in shift workers. Other adverse effects include increased risk of disease such as diabetes, weight gain, cardiac issues, stroke, and cancer. Sleep-wake states, alertness, and mental performance are critical for optimal paramedic care; therefore, there is an obvious importance for all first responders to adopt individual and workplace strategies to cope with shift work and to prevent burnout, maintain wellbeing, and ensure high quality care for patients (Savic, et al., 2019).

Savic, M., Ogeil, R. P., Sechtig, M. J., Lee-Tobin, P., Ferguson, N., & Lubman, D. I. (2019). How Do Nurses Cope with Shift Work? A Qualitative Analysis of Open-Ended Responses from a Survey of Nurses. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(20), 3821. MDPI AG. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16203821


Personally, I have found strategies such as installation of light-darkening shades, telephone answering machines, social support from peers and co-workers to be beneficial for my shift work lifestyle. Other forms of coping practices I’ve adopted over time include healthy diet and regular exercise, however sometimes sleepiness hinders my ability of this. I try my best not to adopt avoidance strategies which focus on avoiding the stressor or response to it, such as social distancing, alcohol and drug use, or caffeine. 

Instead, I implement strategies that range from relaxation, regular sleep, mindfulness, and socialising with friends and family. I’m able to implement these strategies with the help of Structured Daily Planner app which allows me to visually set out daily goals and tick jobs off throughout the day, practice healthy coping strategies and allow guidance on how to maintain best productivity. Structured Daily Planner

‘Take a deep breath’ is how I am greeted by another coping strategy app I use called Calm. This app invites me to participate in guided meditations, sleep stories, breathing exercises, and relaxing music to make sleeping between shifts easier, so I highly recommend for other fellow shift workers out there. Calm App for Meditation & Sleep

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