Weekly Sleep Debt Planner
Enter your ideal nightly sleep goal and the hours you actually slept each day over the past week. The calculator shows whether you are accumulating sleep debt or staying on track.
Most adults need 7–9 hours; teens require 8–10 hours nightly.
How to Use This Calculator
Set a realistic nightly goal
Choose the number of hours you feel rested. Follow age-based recommendations and consider days that require extra mental or physical effort.
Log actual sleep each day
Record total sleep time across the past week, including naps. Estimations are okay if exact data isn’t available.
Review sleep debt and plan recovery
If you owe sleep, schedule earlier bedtimes, relaxing routines, and short strategic naps. Persistent debt may warrant evaluation for sleep disorders or workload adjustments.
Formula
Sleep debt = (Target hours per night × 7) − Σ Actual nightly hours
A positive result indicates missing sleep (debt), while zero or negative means you met or exceeded your goal. Adjust formulas if tracking over different intervals (e.g., five workdays).
Full Description
Sleep debt accumulates when you consistently obtain less sleep than your physiological needs. Even modest nightly deficits can impair attention, reaction time, mood, immune function, and metabolic health. Chronic debt is linked to weight gain, hypertension, and insulin resistance.
Recovery requires both increased sleep duration and re-establishing stable circadian rhythms. Aim for incremental improvements— extra 30–60 minutes per night or carefully timed weekend catch-up sleep—while addressing obstacles such as late-night screen use, shift work, caregiving responsibilities, or untreated sleep disorders.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I repay sleep debt with one long weekend sleep-in?
A single catch-up night helps but may not fully restore alertness. Sustained consistency over several days is more effective for cognitive recovery and circadian stability.
How do naps factor into the calculator?
Add nap duration to the day’s total sleep. Short naps (20–30 minutes) can reduce debt without harming nighttime sleep; longer naps should end before late afternoon.
What if my schedule varies by day?
Enter the actual sleep for each day regardless of bedtime differences. Aim for a consistent average that meets your weekly target.
When should I see a sleep specialist?
Seek evaluation if you log sufficient sleep yet remain fatigued, or if loud snoring, gasping, restless legs, or insomnia symptoms persist. These may indicate treatable sleep disorders.