Shift Work Sleep Schedule Calculator

About this calculator

Working a shift that runs through the night or rotates outside a normal 9-to-5 forces sleep into hours that fight against the body's natural circadian rhythm, which is tuned to darkness at night and light during the day. Planning sleep around a shift means working backward from when the shift ends: allowing time for the commute home, then a wind-down period — typically around 60 minutes — before the body is actually ready to fall asleep, since coming straight off an alert, stimulating shift and expecting to sleep immediately rarely works.

Nurses, factory workers, security staff, pilots and anyone on rotating or night shifts use this kind of planning to protect a full sleep opportunity despite an irregular schedule, since chronically shortened sleep from shift work is linked to fatigue-related errors and long-term health risks. Occupational health guidance for shift workers routinely recommends building in a buffer after the shift ends rather than assuming sleep starts the moment you walk in the door.

Enter your shift's start time, its length and how long your commute takes, and the calculator works out your recommended sleep window, including the wind-down time before bed.