FIFO Sleep Tips: Sleeping in Camp and Waking On Time

FIFO sleep tips usually say the same thing: keep a routine and avoid screens. That's useful, but it doesn't cover what makes sleep hard on a swing: a thin-walled room, a roster that flips from days to nights, and an alarm that has to wake you without waking the room next door. This guide covers all of that, using Australian research on FIFO workers.

The short answer: keep your camp room cool (16–20°C), dark and quiet, and keep your sleep times as regular as your roster allows. Use a wearable vibrating alarm so earplugs don't stop you waking. On changeover days and R&R, shift your sleep gradually instead of all at once. If you're struggling to stay alert at work, speak to your supervisor about your site's fatigue management plan, and see your GP or EAP.

What the research says about FIFO sleep

Researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Western Australia have studied FIFO sleep closely:

• In a study of 88 FIFO workers, day-shift workers averaged about 6 hours of sleep and night-shift workers about 5.5 hours, below the recommended 7–9 hours. Alertness dropped by about 20% across a 14-day swing (ABC News).
• A 2025 survey of 538 FIFO mining workers found that a more disruptive sleep environment (uncomfortable bedding, a room that's too warm, light, noise and not feeling safe) went with less control over sleep. About one in four reported little or no control over when they woke (Beranek et al., 2025).
• The same research team found better sleep habits went with better sleep, and recommended a cool room, a comfortable pillow and regular sleep times (ECU via ScienceDaily).

In short, you can't control the roster, but you can control more of your room and your routine than you might think.

Set up your camp room for sleep

Camp rooms and dongas aren't built for sleep, but a few changes help:

1. Set the air-con to 16–20°C. This is the range recommended by both the ECU researchers and the Sleep Health Foundation. A room that's too warm was one of the factors linked to poorer sleep.
2. Block the light. Use an eye mask, and cover standby lights on the TV, charger and air-con with tape. Light gets in around blinds, especially when you're sleeping after a night shift.
3. Deal with noise. Walls are thin and people come and go at all hours. Foam or silicone earplugs, or a fan for background noise, can help.
4. Bring your own pillow. Bedding comfort was the biggest single factor in the 2025 study. A pillow you like is the easiest thing to bring from home.
5. Keep the phone out of reach. Charge it across the room so you're not scrolling in bed. This is easier if your phone isn't also your alarm.
6. Lock up and settle in. Feeling safe in your room matters. Make it yours with the same few things each swing.

Waking on time without waking the room next door

This is where most FIFO sleep advice stops, and it's a real problem:

• Earplugs and phone alarms don't mix. The better your earplugs work, the easier it is to sleep through your alarm.
• Walls are thin. A loud alarm at 4am wakes the person next door, and on a different roster that could be the middle of their sleep.
• Snoozing is a trap. Every snooze is a second alarm for your neighbours, and broken sleep leaves you groggier.

A wearable vibrating alarm solves all three. It's on your wrist, so you feel it with earplugs in, and it's silent, so nobody else hears it. Look for one that builds in strength rather than buzzing once; see do vibrating alarms work for heavy sleepers? for what to look for.

Until you trust a new alarm, keep a backup set a few minutes later for your first shifts. For more shared-room tips, see how to set an alarm without waking your roommate.

Once you're awake, remember that grogginess can last 15–30 minutes after waking. The Sleep Health Foundation advises avoiding high-risk tasks like driving during that time (source). Build that into your morning: shower, eat, then head out.

Switching between day and night shift

Swapping from days to nights mid-swing is one of the hardest parts of FIFO sleep. The Sleep Health Foundation's shift-work advice includes (source):

• Before your first night shift, a longer nap can reduce sleep debt. Avoid napping in the 4–6 hours before your main sleep at other times.
• After a night shift, wear sunglasses on the way back to camp to limit bright light.
• Keep the same sleep routine for each shift type, so your body learns the pattern.
• When switching back to days, try a short sleep in the morning and go to bed earlier that night.
• Short naps of 15–20 minutes can boost alertness.

With a different wake time on each shift type, it helps to have more than one alarm set. For example, one for day-shift wake-ups and one for night-shift wake-ups, so you're not resetting alarms every changeover. Our silent alarms for shift workers guide covers alarm setups for rotating rosters.

Food, caffeine and the wet mess

• Caffeine: its effects can last several hours, so cut it off well before bed.
• Alcohol: it may help you fall asleep but doesn't make for good sleep. Don't make it part of your bedtime routine.
• Night-shift meals: choose smaller, lighter meals over large ones, and don't go to bed hungry.
• Fluids: go easy right before bed so you're not up during the night.

Sleep on R&R and the trip home

The first days home can be as disruptive as the swing itself:

• Don't try to catch up all at once. A long first sleep is normal, but get back to regular times within a day or two.
• Coming off nights? Have a shorter sleep on your first morning home, then go to bed at a normal time that night.
• Tell the household your plan. The Sleep Health Foundation suggests telling family and friends your sleep schedule.
• Sharing a bed again? If you're up earlier than your partner on R&R, a silent alarm lets you get up without waking them. See how to wake up without waking your partner.
• Before flying back, start shifting your sleep towards your swing times a day or two ahead, especially if your first shift is an early start.

A FIFO sleep pack list

• Your own pillow (or a travel pillow)
• Eye mask
• Earplugs (foam or silicone)
• Tape or stickers for standby lights
• Sunglasses for the trip back after night shift
• A silent, wearable alarm
• A charger for it, or one with long battery life so you don't need it every night

Where the Sovune Nudge fits

We make the Sovune Nudge, a silent vibrating alarm wristband, so we're not neutral. For camp life:

• Completely silent, with no speaker. Wear earplugs and still wake up.
• Three separate alarms, handy for day and night shift wake-ups, plus a backup.
• Three vibration levels that build over a full minute, and you can switch it off sooner.
• Up to 14 days per charge, about one swing.
• Set on the band, with no app, so your phone can stay across the room.
• Adjustable strap that fits all wrist sizes.

To be clear: the Nudge is an alarm clock, not a safety device. It isn't a lone-worker alarm, a fatigue monitor or a smoke alarm alert, and it doesn't replace your site's fatigue management procedures.

Quick answers

What are the best FIFO sleep tips? Keep your room at 16–20°C, dark and quiet; bring your own pillow; keep regular sleep times for each shift type; and use an alarm you'll wake to with earplugs in.

How do I sleep during the day after a night shift? Wear sunglasses on the way back, block all light with an eye mask, use earplugs, and keep the same routine every night-shift day.

How can I wake up with earplugs in? Use a vibrating alarm worn on your wrist. Vibration doesn't depend on hearing.

Is the Sovune Nudge a safety device for FIFO work? No. It's a wake-up alarm only.

Who can help if I'm struggling with fatigue? Talk to your supervisor about your site's fatigue management plan, your EAP, or your GP.

For every type of silent alarm compared, see our complete guide to vibrating alarms in Australia.

See the Sovune Nudge →