Costs & effort
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Awake when you want to sleep. Tired when you have to work.
Sound familiar? Then hermaid.SHFT is for you: the digital sleep programme for women and men aged 37 and over who work shifts.
Your employer isn't on board yet?
Recommend SHFT to your employer
Recommend SHFT to your employer
Sleep problems from shift work: sound familiar?
Your body has an internal clock. Your shift schedule has another. That is not weakness, that is biology.
Wide awake after the night shift
You get home at 7 a.m., completely exhausted, and still lie awake. It is getting light outside, and your mind is racing inside.
The alarm at 4:30 a.m.
Early shift means wanting to go to bed early and not being able to fall asleep. Then the alarm rings, and you have slept four hours.
The changeover is the worst
Early, late, night, off. Just as your body adjusts, the schedule flips. You live in permanent jet lag without ever travelling.
Drenched in sweat at three
Heat, a pounding heart, a damp pillow. For a few years now you have been waking up at night, although you used to sleep through. That can have to do with your hormones.
Tired, but the mind keeps going
The shift was hard, you are done, and still you toss and turn for hours. What went wrong today, what is coming tomorrow.
Catching up on your day off
You sleep until noon, still do not feel rested, and your family has once again only seen you tired.
Shifts plus hormones: why it gets harder from your late thirties
Shift work throws your body clock off balance: you sleep when your body is set to be awake, and work when it actually wants rest. In midlife, many people also go through hormonal changes. In women, oestrogen and progesterone shift during perimenopause – hot flushes and inner restlessness can interrupt deep sleep. In men, testosterone levels gradually decline with age, and poor sleep can amplify this effect. In everyone, melatonin, the sleep hormone, also decreases over the years.
And this affects men too
Other factors can add to this: overthinking and tension keep the mind awake, especially when falling asleep. Sleep apnoea – pauses in breathing during sleep – affects men more often, while in women the risk rises after menopause. Muscle and joint pain or restless legs can also disturb sleep. hermaid.SHFT addresses exactly these connections – with dedicated modules for women and for men.
What you take away
From overthinking to a plan
Much of what feels like bad luck in shift work can be understood and influenced.
Today
After the night shift I lie awake for hours.
With the programme
You understand why, and what can help you.
Today
My sleep is different after every shift.
With the programme
You have ideas for early, late and night shifts.
Today
I don't know what really works for me.
With the programme
Your diary shows you your own patterns.
Your programme
Not a generic sleep guide.
A programme that works around your shift schedule.
45 minutes per week
Read or listen, whatever suits you.
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Whenever and wherever you like
Around the clock in the app. You set the pace.
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In your language
Several languages, no barriers.
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Practical tips for your everyday life
Strategies you can build straight into your shifts.
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No direct costs for you
Your employer covers the costs.
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Your data stays protected
Your employer never sees your data.
Participation
How your participation works
hermaid.SHFT is part of a Charité study. That is why a few questions are part of it. Your effort stays manageable, and you can pause or stop at any time, without giving a reason and without any disadvantage.
For participants
Women and men aged 37 and over who work shifts and have trouble sleeping
Developed specifically for shift work – not a generic sleep course, but tailored to the particular challenges of shift work
Sleep, shifts & hormones – dedicated modules on menopause and andropause
Scientifically accompanied – Charité is studying the programme in a controlled study
Easy start – all you need is a smartphone and an email address. Participation is voluntary and you can stop at any time
Your data stays protected – pseudonymised, so neither names nor email addresses reach Charité, and your employer never sees individual health data.
approx. 20 min
Information
In person from the Charité team, followed by digital consent in the app.
approx. 15 min
Initial questionnaire
Questions about sleep, mood and a few personal details.
10-week programme
Programme in the app
Sleep programme and sleep diary in the app. In a subgroup of the study, you also wear a wearable.
approx. 15 min
Final questionnaire
A second survey and your rating of the app.
optional · approx. 20 min
Interview
A conversation about your experience with the programme.
Your data belongs to you. Not to your employer.
This is the question shift workers ask us most often. The answer is clear.
Your employer does not see any individual health data. At most aggregated analyses, for example for better shift schedules.
Pseudonymised. Neither your name nor your email address is passed on to Charité.
CE-certified medical device, Class I under MDR 2017/745. Hosted in Germany or the EU.
Deletion at any time. An email to support@hermaid.me is enough.
Why a study? Because we want to know.
Most sleep programmes were developed for people with a regular daily routine. hermaid.SHFT is different: together with Charité Berlin, we are investigating in a controlled study until the end of 2027 what really helps shift workers, separately for women and men.
By taking part, you help ensure that sleep in shift work is finally taken seriously. For you, and for everyone who comes after you.
For your workplace
Your employer is not on board yet?
Then you have three options. All without obligation.
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1. Join the waiting list
We will get in touch as soon as your employer is on board or other options become available.
Participant waiting list2
2. Suggest it yourself
Talk to HR or the works council. One sentence is enough:
“There is a health programme designed specifically for shift workers, with Charité.”
Drop us a line and we'll send you intro materials
Susanne(at)hermaid.me
Susanne(at)hermaid.me
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3. Let us handle it
We approach your employer directly, with no obligation for you. The best way is to use the form on this page.
Questions & answers
Frequently asked questions from participants
FAQ
What does hermaid.SHFT cost me?
How much time do I need to invest?
Can I pause or stop at any time?
What is hermaid.SHFT?
Is SHFT right for me?
I'm going through menopause or andropause. Can SHFT help me?
Do I need a wearable?
Can I use SHFT alongside sleep medication?
My employer doesn't offer SHFT yet. What can I do?
How do I sign up?
Does my employer see my personal sleep data?
Is hermaid.SHFT a medical device?
What happens to my data after the programme?
Your next night shift is coming anyway. Your sleep can get better.
Join the waiting list with no obligation. We will get in touch and, if you like, approach your employer.
Questions? Write to anne@hermaid.me – or recommend SHFT to your employer
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