Rest, around your rota

Shift work sleep planner

Your shifts move. Your sleep still matters. Find practical windows for rest, light and recovery around the work you do.

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A quiet blue bedroom, a moonlit window, a morning sun and a bedside clock.

First, your rota

Choose a start date, then set each shift. Times are local to the time zone below. End times at or before the start finish the next day.

Your schedule stays in this tab. It is not uploaded or saved. Closing or refreshing the page clears it.

A simple plan, with honest limits

A rounded blue bed beneath a moon, representing a protected sleep window.

Protect sleep first

The planner reserves time for commuting, preparation and winding down. It places sleep after nights, before early starts and near your usual wake time on other days. It clips sleep around work and flags short opportunities. Shift names are your labels: check the actual times, especially for unusual rotas.

NIOSH supports protecting sufficient sleep, strategic naps and careful light timing. This planner’s exact buffers and anchor overlap are practical conventions, not a clinically validated rota optimizer. Rotating schedules are especially individual.

A pale sun and blue window representing thoughtful light timing.

For adults with a usual sleep need within the planner’s range. This is general education, not a diagnosis or medical advice.

If shifts leave you persistently sleepy or you cannot get enough sleep, talk to your occupational health service. If sleepy, do not drive or operate machinery.

Sources & approach

Source check: 5 November 2026. The planner is an educational interpretation of the guidance below.

  1. NIOSH: Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours — sleep, naps and coping with nights
  2. NIOSH: Light during night shifts, including the driving safety caveat
  3. NIOSH: Managing fatigue — sleep opportunity and caffeine timing
  4. Ruggiero & Redeker (2014): Effects of napping on sleepiness and performance in shift workers — systematic review

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