Being a paramedic was always Terry Lindsay’s dream. Growing up in the small town of Urunga on the NSW Mid-North Coast, he admired the local paramedics and aspired to join their ranks. His passion led him to complete a Bachelor’s degree and even relocate to London to kickstart his career. However, a decade later, the 33-year-old finds himself questioning his future in the profession.
“When I first started, I preferred night shifts as they seemed cruisier,” Lindsay shared with news.com.au. “But then after night shifts I started waking up with headaches and was more irritated than I would normally ever be. I was also invested in the gym and noticed that trying to train between night shifts felt like I’d been hit by a truck.”
It took just two years for Lindsay to notice a decline in his health. “From personal experience, shift work disrupts almost every part of daily living – it makes consistent routines nearly impossible,” he explained. “You don’t eat as healthy, your meal times are completely random, your digestive system doesn’t cope, you sleep worse, which means you don’t recover as well, your immune system weakens meaning you get sick more often, and all this combines to make you far less regulated therefore your mood suffers which in turn impacts your relationships and your quality of work.”
The Impact of Shift Work on Health
While working in the mines as a paramedic, alternating between day and night shifts, Lindsay realized the toll it was taking on his well-being. He turned to the work of American neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, who spoke about the circadian rhythm and its critical role in health. Lindsay found the insights strikingly relevant to his own experiences.
“I wish I knew how bad being a paramedic was for my health before I started,” he confessed in a TikTok video. “I’ve been doing a lot of research around the circadian rhythm and how a disrupted circadian rhythm shortens lives. Circadian rhythm is responsible for hormone control, immunity, repair, and when it’s disrupted, the risk for disease increases predictably.”
“Night shift work specifically is a probable carcinogen,” Lindsay claimed.
In 2023, he joined the Queensland Ambulance Service and moved back into rotational shift work after a stint in a management role with regular hours. This transition reignited his concerns about the long-term health consequences of shift work.
Understanding Circadian Rhythm Disruption
Lindsay delved deeper into the science behind circadian rhythms and their disruption. “Even if we focus on just one mechanism – circadian rhythm disruption – the effects are significant,” he noted. “Misaligned circadian rhythm reduces sleep quality, impairs glucose metabolism, elevates cortisol, disrupts appetite hormones, and increases inflammatory markers. All this contributes to higher rates of mood and depressive disorders, obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disorders, and increased all-cause mortality – and that’s not even a comprehensive list.”
His findings underscore the importance of educating shift workers about the health impacts of their work. “You can’t mitigate what you don’t understand,” Lindsay emphasized. “If you don’t know why you feel exhausted, you can’t put appropriate coping strategies in place.”
Advocating for Better Support
Lindsay believes there needs to be more practical support for workers in demanding careers with shift work patterns. He encourages other shift workers to prioritize their sleep, diet, and physical activity, alongside strategically timed coffee breaks.
“Making this information more accessible allows people who are already in the role, as well as those considering the career, to make informed decisions about whether they want to continue on that path,” he said. “In a world where health should be the priority, people are stepping away from essential services because the cost to their wellbeing has become too high.”
As Lindsay continues to navigate his career, he remains committed to raising awareness about the health challenges associated with shift work, hoping to inspire systemic changes that prioritize the well-being of essential workers.
