Calibrate

Night shift sleep planner

Enter your shift and your commute. You get a sleep block, when to get bright light, when to keep it low, and your last caffeine, all on one work day. No signup needed.

My shift starts at

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My shift ends at

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Commute home, minutes

What about your days off?

Your work-day sleepEstimate only, based on typical body clock timing.

Shift 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM · sleep 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Drawn around your waking day, not local sunrise or sunset.

8:00 AM

Sleep starts

Sleep 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM after a 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM shift. That leaves your 30-minute commute home and 30 minutes to wind down.

Your 24 hours on a work day

Shift 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM. Bright light 11:00 PM to 3:00 AM. Low light 5:00 AM to 7:30 AM, including the commute. Sleep 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM.ShiftBright lightLow lightSleepNoon6 PMMidnight6 AMNoon

Your work day, step by step

  1. What to do
    Work under the brightest light you can for the first half of your shift. Step into well lit areas on breaks.
    Why
    Bright light in the first half of the night helps you feel alert and nudges your body clock later, toward sleeping in the day.

Make the rest of the day fit around it

Your sleep block is the anchor. Calibrate builds a daily plan around it: when to get light, when to wind down, and when to stop caffeine, on the schedule you actually keep.

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Related reads: How daytime light affects your sleep at night, How to dim your lights for better sleep and Why you get tired in the afternoon.

Shift work sleep schedule: how the plan works

Sleep starts

30 minutes after you get home

Bright light

First half of your shift 1

Low light

Last 2 hours of the shift and the commute 1,3

Learn more

Working nights asks your body clock to treat the night as day. It never fully gets there for most people, because daylight on the way home and on days off keeps pulling it back 2. The plan uses the approach studied for permanent night work: bright light early in the shift, dark glasses on the way home, and a fixed sleep block in a dark room straight after 1.

The aim is a compromise rather than a full flip: a body clock moved far enough that daytime sleep and night-time alertness both get easier, while days off can still include some daylight hours 1,3.

Why this is an estimate

Rotating rosters, long commutes, children at home, and how bright your workplace is all change what is realistic. The windows come from typical body clock timing, not a measurement of yours 2. Start with the sleep block and the sunglasses, which are the easiest to keep.

Learn more

If you regularly fall asleep at work, struggle to stay awake while driving, or cannot sleep in the day even with a dark room, talk with a health care provider. Drowsy driving after a night shift is a real risk; if you are struggling to stay awake, do not drive.

Night shift days off: stay late or switch back?

Learn more

Staying on a late schedule, sleeping roughly from the early hours to late morning, keeps at least 4 hours of your days-off sleep overlapping your work-day sleep. That overlap is what makes the next run of nights feel less like starting over 1. Switching back after a short nap suits family time and daylight, at the cost of a harder first night back. Pick the one you will actually keep.

Night shift sleep FAQ

What is the best sleep schedule for night shift workers?

For most people it is one fixed block soon after getting home, in a dark room, kept the same on every work day. This planner starts that block 30 minutes after your commute ends and gives it 7 hours. Bright light early in the shift and low light on the way home make that block easier to sleep through.

Should I sleep right after a night shift or before it?

Sleeping soon after you get home usually works better than staying up and sleeping before the next shift. Your body clock makes it harder to sleep as the day goes on, so the morning is the easier window. If the full block is not possible, a nap before the shift can top you up.

What should I do on my days off from night shift?

There are two common approaches. You can stay on a late schedule, going to bed in the early morning so your sleep still overlaps your work-day sleep, which makes the next run of nights easier. Or you can nap after your last shift and switch back to sleeping at night, which suits family life and daylight better. The planner shows both.

Do sunglasses on the drive home really help?

Morning daylight is one of the strongest signals that it is time to be awake. Research on night work has used dark sunglasses on the commute home as part of a schedule that moved the body clock toward sleeping in the day. Wear them only if you can still see clearly enough to drive safely.

When should I stop caffeine on a night shift?

The planner uses 8 hours before your sleep starts, the same buffer Calibrate uses for any bedtime. For an 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM shift with a 30-minute commute, that is midnight. Caffeine early in the shift is fine; caffeine near the end tends to cut into the sleep that follows.

References

  1. Smith MR, Fogg LF, Eastman CI (2009). A compromise circadian phase position for permanent night work improves mood, fatigue, and performance. Sleep, 32(11), 1481-1489. doi.org/10.1093/sleep/32.11.1481
  2. Boivin DB, Boudreau P, Kosmadopoulos A (2022). Disturbance of the circadian system in shift work and its health impact. Journal of Biological Rhythms, 37(1), 3-28. doi.org/10.1177/07487304211064218
  3. Revell VL, Eastman CI (2005). How to trick mother nature into letting you fly around or stay up all night. Journal of Biological Rhythms, 20(4), 353-365. doi.org/10.1177/0748730405277233

This planner is for wellness education and gives estimates, not medical advice. It does not diagnose or treat any condition, including shift work disorder. If you have ongoing trouble sleeping or staying awake, talk with your health care provider.

Night Shift Sleep Schedule Planner | Calibrate