Short nights add up. This free sleep debt calculator shows how much sleep you have missed this week, a gentle plan to catch up and a bedtime that fits your wake-up time. It takes about a minute.
Sleep Debt Calculator
Enter roughly how many hours you slept each night this past week. We’ll show your sleep debt, a gentle catch-up plan and a bedtime that fits your wake-up time.
Most adults need 7 or more hours a night. If you’re not sure, keep 8.
Hours slept, last 7 nights
Suggested bedtime
Catch-up plan
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This calculator is for general education only and is not medical advice. Sleep needs vary from person to person.
What is sleep debt?
Sleep debt is the gap between the sleep your body needs and the sleep you actually get. If you need eight hours but sleep six, you add two hours of debt that night. Over a week, a few short nights can add up to a full night of missed sleep. The CDC notes that most adults need seven or more hours of sleep a night.
How this calculator works
For each of the last seven nights, the calculator subtracts the hours you slept from your sleep need and adds up any shortfall. Extra sleep on one night does not cancel out debt from another, because a single long lie-in rarely makes up for several short nights. Your suggested bedtime counts back from your wake-up time, adds about 15 minutes to fall asleep and, if you have debt, a little extra time each night to help you catch up gradually.
Everyone is different, so treat the result as a starting point, not a diagnosis. If you often struggle to fall or stay asleep, wake up unrefreshed most days or feel very sleepy during the day, talk to a doctor.