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Restadian tool

Shift-Work Planner

Organise sleep opportunity, naps, light, caffeine, and transition days around a rotating or overnight schedule.

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The tool

Work around the rota you have

The planner assumes you cannot change your rota, because most of the time you cannot. Give it one shift and it arranges the controllable parts around it: where the sleep opportunity sits, where the light helps and where it hurts, where the caffeine cutoff falls relative to the end of your shift rather than to a clock hour.

This is not a fatigue-risk assessment and must not be submitted as one for workplace purposes. It will not tell you whether you are fit to work or fit to drive, and it will not diagnose shift work sleep disorder or anything else. Shift work asks your body to do something it is not built for, and no planner changes that.

The form below runs in your browser, so it needs JavaScript to work. The published method further down this page does not need one, and it is the part worth reading first.

The shift

One shift. If your rota has several kinds, run the planner once for each.

The pattern around it

Optional. The planner uses these to check the gaps rather than to judge the rota.

The planner checks the gap against the eleven hours NIOSH names as the floor between two shifts.

What home allows

These change the plan more than the timing does.

School run, care, anything that cannot hold sleep.

Where what you type goes

Nowhere. Everything above runs in this browser, on this device. Restadian never receives what you enter, because nothing here sends it anywhere.

What this tool will not tell you, and why

  • Where in a night shift a nap should sit. NIOSH gives the length, about thirty minutes, or two to three hours on a shift of twelve or more, and does not say when. The planner marks the part of your shift that overlaps the low point of your body clock, because that is where the sleepiness is, and leaves the placement to you and to what your rota actually allows.NIOSH Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours, Module 7: Napping · Riedy & Williams, Jet Lag Disorder, CDC Yellow Book
  • A safe number of consecutive night shifts, or a safe rota. The AASM fact sheet suggests limiting night shifts to blocks of three and allowing three days of recuperation, addressed to the person writing the rota. This planner assumes you cannot change yours, so it repeats that advice where it is useful and does not turn it into a judgement on the rota you have.AASM provider fact sheet, Circadian Adaptation to Shift Work

Every number above, and where it came from

Each figure this tool uses is registered in the code with the sentence it was taken from. Open one and you can check the number against the source without taking our word for it.

  1. NIOSH Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours, Module 11: DrivingNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health · 2020
    The sentence the figure came from
    Difficulty focusing, frequent blinking, or heavy eyelids · Daydreaming; wandering/disconnected thoughts · Trouble remembering the last few miles driven; missing exits or traffic signs · Yawning repeatedly or rubbing your eyes · Trouble keeping your head up · Drifting from your lane, tailgating, or hitting a shoulder rumble strip · Feeling restless and irritable.
  2. NIOSH Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours, Module 11: Crash riskNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health · 2020
    The sentence the figure came from
    People who sleep 6 to 7 hours a night are twice as likely to be involved in a sleep-related crash as those sleeping 8 hours or more. People sleeping less than 5 hours increase their risk four to five times … 1 in 10 nurses reported they were involved in an automobile accident that they believe was related to fatigue from shift work.
  3. NIOSH Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours, Module 7: NappingNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health · 2020
    The sentence the figure came from
    A brief (about 30-minute) nap can increase your alertness during the night shift … A longer nap may be more useful if you work an extended night shift of 12 hours or more. A night-shift nap of 2 to 3 hours was shown to maintain alertness and counteract fatigue during a 12- to 16-hour night shift … You can gain the benefits of both caffeine and a short nap by consuming caffeine and then immediately taking a short nap.
  4. NIOSH Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours, Module 9: LightNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health · 2020
    The sentence the figure came from
    You can be more alert if you increase your light exposure during the first half of the shift … Reduce your light exposure during the second half of the shift … Before you leave work or are exposed to any sunlight (such as through atrium windows), put on a pair of blue-light-blocking sunglasses (wraparound style is best). Keep them on until you are in darkness in your bedroom at home … If you are very sleepy, do not drive.
  5. NIOSH Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours, Module 9: SleepNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health · 2020
    The sentence the figure came from
    On nights when you work, you should sleep as soon as you get home (for example, 8 a.m.) and sleep as long as you can … On days off, try to stay up until the middle of the night (3-4 a.m.), and sleep until noon or 1 p.m. … your body always has some hours of sleep that are the same every 24-hour period (for example, 8 a.m. to noon is always a sleep time, on both work and rest days).
  6. NIOSH Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours, Module 5: Shift SchedulesNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health · 2020
    The sentence the figure came from
    Forward rotations (day shift to evening shift) are easier to adjust to than backward rotations (evening shift to day shift) … Slow rotations … change every 2 or more weeks, because these give the circadian system time to adjust to the new schedule … The most difficult speed of rotation is a weekly rotation – it is best to avoid this … At least 11 hours between two work shifts.
  7. NIOSH Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours, Module 9: DietNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health · 2020
    The sentence the figure came from
    Avoid eating or reduce food intake between midnight and 6 a.m. Use the normal day and night pattern of meal timing as much as possible, and divide eating into three meals per 24-hour period … If you are a night worker, eat a small breakfast before day sleep to avoid waking due to hunger … Avoid large meals 1 to 2 hours before the main sleep episode … Try to have only light caffeine during your shift.
  8. NIOSH Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours, Module 9: Evening shiftNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health · 2020
    The sentence the figure came from
    Your challenge is to wind down before going to sleep, since there is no “buffer” period before bedtime after the evening shift … driving home during the circadian low (after 1 a.m.) while alcohol is in your system is even riskier than at a different time of day … To signal your body that it is nighttime, you should avoid any sources of bright light after your shift … After you have had enough sleep (7 or more hours) and get up in the morning, go into a brightly lit area.
  9. NIOSH Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours, Module 10: Planning suggestionsNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health · 2020
    The sentence the figure came from
    Consider the special challenges for your time and energy due to your work schedule and develop realistic plans that do not sacrifice sleep time … If possible, consider your sleep schedule when timing conversations about difficult or emotional issues … Be open to social activities during different times of the day. Consider times that are a better fit with your work and sleep schedule.
  10. AASM provider fact sheet, Circadian Adaptation to Shift WorkAmerican Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2022
    The sentence the figure came from
    Night shift workers usually sleep 1 to 4 hours less than daytime workers … since it is easier to delay circadian rhythms rather than advance them, clockwise (e.g., day -> evening -> night) shift rotations are easier to adjust to compared to counter-clockwise (e.g., night -> evening -> day) shift rotations … Whenever possible, recommend a clockwise (day-> evening-> night) rotational schedule. Limit night shifts to blocks of three, limit shift duration to eight hours and allow three days of recuperation after night shifts.
  11. Morgenthaler et al., Practice parameters for the clinical evaluation and treatment of circadian rhythm sleep disordersAmerican Academy of Sleep Medicine / Sleep · 2007
    The sentence the figure came from
    Timed light exposure in the work environment and light restriction in the morning, when feasible, is indicated to decrease sleepiness and improve alertness during night shift work … Morning light exposure is indicated in the treatment of DSPD. Optimal timing, duration, and dosing of morning light treatment for DSPD remain to be determined.
  12. Watson et al., Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy AdultAmerican Academy of Sleep Medicine & Sleep Research Society · 2015
    The sentence the figure came from
    Adults should sleep 7 or more hours per night on a regular basis to promote optimal health. Sleeping more than 9 hours per night on a regular basis may be appropriate for young adults, individuals recovering from sleep debt, and individuals with illnesses.
  13. Drake et al., Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before going to bedJournal of Clinical Sleep Medicine · 2013
    The sentence the figure came from
    The magnitude of reduction in total sleep time suggests that caffeine taken 6 hours before bedtime has important disruptive effects on sleep and provides empirical support for sleep hygiene recommendations to refrain from substantial caffeine use for a minimum of 6 hours prior to bedtime.
  14. Riedy & Williams, Jet Lag Disorder, CDC Yellow BookCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · 2026
    The sentence the figure came from
    an average rate of adaptation of 1.5 hrs/day for westward travel and 1 hr/day for eastward travel … Exposure to bright light in the morning following the circadian nadir (approximately 2–4 hours prior to habitual wake time) promotes phase advances … exposure in the evening generally promotes phase delays … For short trips (e.g. less than 2 days), avoid adapting … Shifting sleep 1 hour later (for westward travel) or earlier (for eastward travel) per day in the 2–3 days prior to the trip may reduce the amount of time required to adjust … Short daytime naps (20–30 minutes) can be utilized to help sustain alertness during the local day, while longer daytime naps may interfere with subsequent nighttime sleep.
The method

What it measures, what it assumes, and where that breaks down

What it organises

The controllable parts of a schedule you do not control: where the main sleep opportunity sits for the shift you gave it, where a nap helps and where it works against you, when to seek light and when to keep it low, and where a caffeine cutoff falls relative to the end of your shift rather than to a clock hour.

Every time it prints is derived from your shift. Move the shift and the whole plan moves with it.

What it asks you for

  • The shift itself: when it starts, when it ends, and which way your rota rotates.
  • Your commute, in both directions.
  • When your next shift starts, so it can check the gap.
  • A block of the day that is committed and cannot hold sleep.
  • Whether you can nap at work, and whether you can properly darken the room you sleep in.

The planner assumes you cannot change the rota. Most advice written for shift workers quietly assumes you can, which is why so much of it is unusable.

The assumptions it rests on

  1. The rota is fixed and the plan works around it. This is the design premise, not a limitation of it.
  2. Sleep opportunity is the thing to protect first. Light and caffeine are arranged around it rather than competing with it.
  3. Anchoring some sleep at a consistent time across a rotation is usually easier to sustain than fully re-timing for each shift type.
  4. Days off are part of the pattern. A plan that ignores what happens on your rest days is planning about a third of your week away.

Where the numbers come from, and where they stop

The NIOSH training for nurses on shift work carries most of it: the nap lengths, the light strategy across a shift, the sleep advice for work days and days off, the eleven hours it names as the floor between two shifts, the meal timings, and the driving warning. The AASM fact sheet supplies the rotation direction and the size of the sleep debt night workers carry, one to four hours less than day workers. The sleep opportunity itself is the AASM and SRS figure of seven hours or more.

Two figures are missing on purpose.

  • Where in a night shift a nap should sit. NIOSH gives the length, about thirty minutes, or two to three hours on a shift of twelve or more, and does not say when. The planner marks the part of your shift that overlaps the low point of your body clock, because that is where the sleepiness is, and leaves the placement to you and to what your rota actually allows.
  • A safe number of consecutive night shifts, or a safe rota. The AASM fact sheet suggests limiting night shifts to blocks of three and allowing three days of recuperation, addressed to whoever writes the rota. This planner assumes you cannot change yours, so it repeats that where it is useful and does not turn it into a judgement on the rota you have.

Safety

This is the part of the planner that matters most, so it is stated plainly rather than tucked into a limitations list.

Severe sleepiness is dangerous, and it is hardest to judge from the inside. Falling asleep unintentionally, drifting between lanes, microsleeps, or arriving somewhere with no memory of the journey are all signs that the sleepiness has gone past what a schedule adjustment addresses.

If that is happening, above all on a commute home after a night shift, stop driving and arrange to see a doctor. Say explicitly that you have been sleepy while driving. It changes how urgently your case is handled, and it is the detail people most often leave out.

What it does not do

  • It does not tell you whether you are fit to work or fit to drive. There is no field in the plan such a judgement could live in.
  • It does not serve as a workplace fatigue-risk assessment, and it should not be submitted as one.
  • It does not diagnose shift work sleep disorder or any other condition.
  • It recommends no medication, supplement or stimulant beyond the timing of ordinary caffeine intake.

Limitations

It cannot make a night shift feel like a day shift. It arranges controllable parts around an uncontrollable one, and the residual difficulty is real.

It cannot see how much daylight your commute gives you, how well you can darken a room, or whether the people you live with are on a different schedule. Those often matter more than anything the planner outputs.