Effect snapshot
| Intervention | Add ~1 hour of sleep (short-term sleep extension studies) |
| Outcome | Self-reported productivity and cognitive task scores |
| Effect | 10–25 percent relative increase |
| Confidence | study |
| Context | Controlled sleep-extension experiments, knowledge workers |
Sources
What changes
More sleep can improve reaction time, mood, and sustained attention on the following day.
Caveats
- Chronic sleep debt vs one-off extra hour behave differently
- Self-report ≠ economic output
- Not medical advice—see a clinician for sleep disorders
Practical takeaway
Use 10–25% as a motivation range for protecting sleep before high-stakes work—not as a universal productivity formula.