How Is Sleep Deprivation Costing You?

Sleeping 6 hours instead of 8 is roughly 12% productivity loss + 10× accident risk + measurable lifespan reduction. We translate it to dollars and reclaimed life-years.

How the math works

Three categories of impact, each with peer-reviewed evidence:

  • Cognitive performance: 6 hours of sleep produces ~12% reduction in cognitive function on standardized tests (vs 8 hours). Compounds with sleep debt — performance degrades further across consecutive short-sleep nights.
  • Accident + error risk: 17 hours awake ≈ 0.05% BAC, 24 hours ≈ 0.10% BAC (driver impairment studies). Sleep-deprived drivers cause an estimated 100,000+ US crashes per year (NHTSA).
  • Long-term health: chronic sub-7-hour sleep correlates with increased cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurodegenerative risk. Lifespan reduction estimates: 1-2 years for chronic 5-6 hr/night vs 7-8 hr/night.

Dollar translation: 12% productivity loss × salary = annual cost of cognitive impact. Healthcare costs and lifespan loss are shown alongside, not summed (different units of impact).

Math runs locally. Inputs never leave your browser. Not medical advice — talk to a doctor about persistent sleep issues.

Real-world scenarios

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6 Hours/Night Costs Kevin $14,500/Year (and 1-2 Years of Lifespan)
Kevin's $95K salary at 6 hours of sleep: ~12% productivity loss + $1,800 healthcare + 2-3 extra sick days = ~$14K/year cash cost. Plus a measurable lifespan reduction the dollar framing can't capture.
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