ARC for Shift Workers
A circadian app for Shift Workers
A 9-to-5 world wasn't built for your hours. ARC builds your day from your actual wake time, with notifications made for night-shift schedules.
Download on theApp StoreThe Problem
- ✕Constant fatigue from misaligned schedules
- ✕Poor-quality daytime sleep
- ✕Relying on caffeine at the wrong times
- ✕Feeling judged for waking late
How ARC Helps
ARC builds your day from your actual wake time, whenever that is. It doesn't tell you to wake at 5 AM; it plans light, caffeine and wind-down around your real start time.
Key Features
- ✓Setup asks for your work schedule, wake time and bedtime
- ✓Last safe coffee solved from the bedtime you set
- ✓Wind-down reminder, plus a notification set for night-shift work
- ✓One-tap check-ins that measure when your dip really lands
Late Risers and Irregular Hours
Tell ARC your wake time, bedtime and work schedule during setup, and correct your wake time with one tap on days it guesses wrong. The plan follows your day: a 1 AM bedtime sits at the end of the list, and your last safe coffee is computed from that bedtime, not from a rule written for early birds.
If your wake time drifts later over two weeks, ARC tells you. For weekend drift specifically, see the social jetlag recovery guide.
If You Work Nights
ARC has a dedicated set of notifications for night-shift work, but it's honest to be clear about its limits: the morning light timer is built around the real sunrise, and ARC doesn't plan your daytime sleep after a night shift. Our shift-worker survival guide covers the commute home, daytime sleep and rotating back to days.
Check how much debt a run of shifts has built with the free sleep debt calculator. And don't drive drowsy after a night shift: nap first, or take transit.
How Much Sleep Debt Have Your Shifts Built?
Add up your recent nights to see how much sleep debt you're carrying.
Questions from Shift Workers
Does ARC work for rotating shifts?▼
Partly. It adapts to your wake time and has night-shift notifications, but it's built around a daytime-light world. If you rotate often, use it alongside the shift-worker guide rather than as a full rota planner.
Will it tell me to wake up earlier?▼
No. It works from your real wake time and bedtime, and moves the day's phases to match.
Where is my data stored?▼
Your log stays on your iPhone. No account. The one exception is the daily sentence: to write it, ARC sends a short timing summary (wake time, bedtime, dip time and today's caffeine) to a language model.
ARC is a wellness app, not a medical device. If sleep problems persist, talk to a doctor.