What counts as a night shift
Updated October 12, 2026 · with an example to try
Capillary counts a shift as a night shift when it covers at least half of night hours, 22:30 to 06:30, the 8 hours when the most people are asleep. Each hour counts by how many people are asleep then (American Time Use Survey), so 19:00 to 03:00 covers 58%, a little more than its 4.5 of 8 clock hours, and is a night shift; 18:00 to 02:00 covers 45%: a swing shift.
Move a shift across the night
Example · runs in your browser; nothing you enter is sent
- 19:00 to 03:00
- 58% of night hours
- Counted as
- A night shift
Shading shows the share of people asleep in each quarter hour, once at least half are (American Time Use Survey, 2025). A shift is a night when it covers half a night or more; otherwise its start decides: day from 05:00, evening from 13:00.
Why count swing shifts
Counting only night shifts gives an 18:00 to 02:00 shift nothing, though it covers 45% of night hours. Counting swing shifts too shows who carries the late hours.
Count the nights on your calendar
The night check reads your work calendar and counts every night in it, by month: nights worked, nights ahead, swing shifts and your most nights in a row.
Where the curve comes from
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics' American Time Use Survey asks people what they did in each part of a day. In the 2025 data, the most people aged 15 and over were asleep around 03:00, 96% of them. Night hours are the 8 hours with the most sleep, 22:30 to 06:30.
Common questions
- Does 24-hour call count as a night shift?
- Yes. It covers all of night hours, 22:30 to 06:30, so it counts as a night shift.
- Does an evening shift count as a night?
- No. A 15:00 to 23:00 shift covers about 7% of night hours; one from 18:00 to 02:00 covers 45% and counts as a swing shift.
Chart your own shifts over time.
Capillary Health makes scheduling software for hospitals and clinics. The free checks keep nothing; a free account is different. It saves your work calendar's shifts and charts your hours, nights and rest between shifts over time. No one in your department or hospital sees them (who can see what).