Shift Work Sleep Schedule Calculator

How it is calculated

Times are on a 24-hour clock. The shift start is typed as HH:MM, the shift length and sleep need are in hours, and the commute is in minutes. The tool counts forward from the end of the shift: shift end = start + length, bedtime = shift end + commute + 60 min, and wake-up = bedtime + sleep need. The 60 minutes is a fixed wind-down before bed. All times wrap past midnight, so 25:30 shows as 01:30. Inputs outside the accepted range give no result: a shift longer than 16 hours, a commute above 180 minutes, and a sleep need below 3 or above 12 hours. The tool plans a single sleep period after one shift. It does not model several days of rotation or any gradual shift in your body clock.

Common mistakes

• Typing the start time in 12-hour form such as 10 PM. The field expects 24-hour HH:MM, so 22:00 is correct and 24:00 is rejected, so use 00:00 for midnight.
• Entering the commute in hours. The commute field is in minutes, so 45 is a 45-minute trip, not 45 hours.
• Entering the paid hours only when the shift runs longer on site. The shift end is simply the start plus the length you give, so include unpaid breaks if you stay at work through them.
• Entering the sleep you can squeeze in rather than the sleep you need. The wake-up time follows directly from the figure, so a need of 5 hours simply gives a wake-up two hours earlier than 7 hours would.
• Skipping the wind-down in practice. The tool builds in 60 minutes after you get home, and if you go straight to bed the schedule you see will not match what actually happens.