The Sleep Score formula (simple and actionable)

The Sleep Score is a weighted average of seven signals. Each signal is converted into a 0–100 subscore, then combined into one number. The math is intentionally simple so your next step is obvious: improve the lowest subscore by a small amount and watch your total score climb.

• Sleep duration: 30%
• Sleep quality (how restorative it feels): 18%
• Wake consistency: 14%
• Bedtime consistency: 12%
• Screens before bed (inverted): 10%
• Caffeine cutoff (timing): 8%
• Evening stress (inverted): 8%

• Duration: If your age group target is ~8 hours and you’re getting 7.5, you’re close (high subscore). If you’re getting 5.5, the duration subscore drops quickly.
• Screens: 0 minutes before bed = best. 60–90 minutes = moderate penalty. 2–3 hours = larger penalty.
• Caffeine: A longer gap before bed scores higher. If your last caffeine is close to bedtime, the subscore drops.

A 3‑step plan that fits real life

Your results include an “Tonight Plan” checklist. It’s designed to be short enough that you’ll actually do it. If you only do one step, do the first one.

• Step 1 (5 minutes): Lower stimulation (lights down, phone away, “closing tabs” note).
• Step 2 (3 minutes): Calm your nervous system (slow breathing, stretch, warm shower).
• Step 3 (optional): Prepare tomorrow (tiny plan so your mind stops rehearsing).

If your sleep problems are severe or persistent, professional help is worth it. This tool is not a substitute.

Why each factor matters (and how to improve it)

Sleep is not just “hours in bed.” It’s the result of rhythm, arousal level, and environment. The sliders you see above are proxy measurements for the most common levers people can actually change without a lab: consistent timing, stimulation before bed, stimulant timing, and stress.

1) Duration: If your sleep duration is too short, you borrow energy from tomorrow. Over time, short sleep tends to push you toward more caffeine, more screen time, and more late‑night “just one more thing” behavior — which can create a loop. This calculator uses your age group to set a rough target range and scores you by how close you are to that target. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s “close enough” most nights.

2) Quality: Two people can both sleep 7 hours and wake up totally different. Quality is your “how restorative did it feel?” rating. It’s influenced by things like interruptions, temperature, alcohol, anxiety, and whether you stayed in bed awake for long periods. In the score, quality has meaningful weight because it captures what duration misses.

3) Consistency (bed and wake): Your body likes patterns. When wake time swings a lot, your internal clock (“circadian rhythm”) struggles to predict when to be alert vs sleepy. Wake time is often the anchor, so it gets slightly higher weight than bedtime. If your weekends shift your wake time by 2–3 hours, you can feel jet‑lagged without traveling. Improving consistency usually means small changes: a 15–30 minute adjustment each week, not a dramatic jump.

4) Screens before bed: Screens aren’t “evil,” but they do two things that commonly hurt sleep: they keep your mind engaged and they keep your eyes exposed to bright light. This tool treats more minutes of late screens as a penalty. The “win” isn’t going to zero overnight — it’s pushing your screen‑off time earlier by a little, and making the last minutes calmer (audio, reading, stretching).

5) Caffeine cutoff: Many people can drink coffee at noon and still feel it at bedtime. This slider estimates how long your last caffeine is from your bedtime window. A longer gap scores higher. If your score suggests caffeine is your biggest lever, the smallest experiment is: move the last caffeine earlier by 60–90 minutes for a week.

6) Evening stress: Sleep requires “downshift.” When stress is high, your body stays in problem‑solving mode. The score inverts stress into a “calm” contribution (lower stress = higher calm). The practical fix is rarely “stop being stressed” — it’s a short decompression routine that signals safety: writing tomorrow’s top 3 tasks, a brief breathing exercise, or a shower.

7) Exercise timing: Exercise can improve sleep quality overall, but very intense workouts right before bed can keep some people wired. This calculator does not punish exercise itself; it simply gives a small nudge if your workout is very close to bedtime. If you exercise late, try reducing intensity or adding a longer wind‑down.

The main idea: you don’t need seven perfect sliders. You need one slider to move a little and then repeat it. Most people feel the difference from consistency and lower stimulation before bed.

3 example profiles

• Duration: 5.5h, Quality: 6/10, Bed consistency: 4/10, Wake consistency: 5/10, Screens: 90m, Caffeine cutoff: 4h, Stress: 7/10
• Likely result: Sleep Score in the 30–50 range.
• Best lever: Add 30 minutes of sleep by setting a consistent wake time and moving bedtime earlier gradually.

• Duration: 7.5h, Quality: 4/10, Bed consistency: 7/10, Wake consistency: 7/10, Screens: 30m, Caffeine cutoff: 10h, Stress: 6/10
• Likely result: Mid score (45–65) because quality pulls it down.
• Best lever: Stress downshift + bedroom comfort (temperature, noise, wind‑down). Consider journaling worries for 3 minutes.

• Duration: 8.0h, Quality: 8/10, Bed consistency: 8/10, Wake consistency: 8/10, Screens: 10m, Caffeine cutoff: 9h, Stress: 3/10
• Likely result: High score (75–95).
• Best lever: Protect the routine (travel plan, late nights, consistent morning light).

Use examples to sanity‑check your score. If your score seems off, adjust the sliders to match your reality — the goal is reflection, not “passing.”

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is this tool a medical sleep test?

  No. It estimates a sleep habit score from your inputs. It cannot diagnose insomnia, sleep apnea, or other conditions.

• What’s a “good” Sleep Score?

  Think in bands: 80–100 = dialed‑in, 60–79 = decent but improvable, 40–59 = inconsistent, 0–39 = depleted zone.

• Why does wake time matter so much?

  Wake time anchors your body clock. If wake time swings, your bedtime becomes unpredictable and falling asleep gets harder.

• My duration is high but I still feel tired — why?

  Quality, interruptions, stress, alcohol, temperature, snoring, or medical issues can all reduce restorative sleep. Consider discussing persistent fatigue with a clinician.

• Does napping hurt my score?

  This calculator doesn’t measure naps directly. If naps make falling asleep harder, treat that as lower quality or consistency and adjust those sliders.

• How often should I use the Sleep Advisor?

  Weekly is a good rhythm. Save a “Last 7 nights” snapshot and aim for a small upward trend over time.

Use this responsibly

A calculator can help you notice patterns, but it can’t see the full picture. If you have symptoms like breathing pauses during sleep, loud habitual snoring, morning headaches, or excessive daytime sleepiness, it may be worth discussing screening with a clinician.

• Pick one lever (usually wake time, screens, or caffeine cutoff).
• Change it by a small amount and repeat for 7 nights.
• Save a “Last 7 nights” snapshot and aim for a gradual upward trend.