Sweet sleep is not just a safe sanctuary for when you’re stressed! Your body needs enough snooze hours to ditch the zombie-mode it’s usually in and work at maximum capacity. Think of the days when you got a good night’s rest. Didn’t you almost feel indestructible? Like you could almost take on anything? That’s how important sleep is!
So then what’s the ideal time to sleep and wake up so that you can always seize the day? Here’s a lowdown on everything you need to know about sleeping right!
Listen To Your Body Clock And Fall Into Nature’s Rhythm
Call yourself nocturnal all you want but your body has been naturally attuned to follow the rhythms of nature. That’s the reason why your circadian rhythm is deeply affected by the presence and absence of sunlight. So, when you face the sunlight every morning, your brain sends out signals to your body, which raises your body temperature. Besides that, the production of the hormone that helps in regulating metabolism, ‘cortisol,’ is also initiated. When the sun goes down though, the levels of melatonin (the sleep hormone) rise significantly and remain high so that you can fall asleep (1).
Best Time To Sleep Is Between 10pm And 6am
Following the natural order of light and dark is the way to go if you want to know the best time to sleep. This makes sleeping roughly at 10pm (and waking up at 6am) ideal as it syncs well with the sunset and sunrise. However, quite a few experts also recommend sleeping anywhere between 8pm and 12am to achieve restful sleep that is inclusive of REM and non-REM sleep (2). That said, the time when you feel sleepiest is between 2am and 4am, so you need to make sure you’re asleep at this point.
Know Your Own Sleep Time By Working Your Schedule Backwards
Even though 10pm to 6am is recommended, the sleep time that works best for you might be something completely different. The only way to know your ideal bedtime and awakening time is to analyze your lifestyle and work through your timetable. Here’s how:
- Figure out the time at which you need to wake up every day. Your chosen time should allow plenty of time to get ready for the day without causing a crazy rush.
- Determine the amount of sleep you need to function optimally. As far as adults are concerned, 7 to 9 hours of sleep is enough to get you comfortably through the day.
- Now go backwards to fix on the perfect wake-up time. For example, if you have to wake up at 6am for work and need at least 8 hours of sleep, your ideal bedtime should be 10pm.
Never Delay Your Bedtime Beyond 12am
Sleeping after 12am has been linked to an increased risk of psychological problems such as depression, bulimic behavior, and even SAD (read: seasonal affected disorders) (3). Moreover, according to a Japanese study, it was found that workers who slept late showed more signs of depression than those who didn’t (4). Another study conducted on undergraduate students revealed that those who slept late were more likely to suffer from repetitive negative thinking (5).
Always Wake Up Early As It Has Plenty Of Benefits
“Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise” is an aphorism that holds true! When you get up early in the morning, you get enough time to plan your day. It also imparts a sense of control and helps in making your more proactive, all the while enforcing a positive, happy feeling (6), (7). So, curious to know what the ideal wake up time is? Read on!
Brahma Muhurtha Is The Best Time To Wake Up, Says Ayurveda
According to Ayurveda, Brahma Muhurtha (roughly around 1 hour 36 minutes before sunrise) is the perfect time to wake up (8). Waking up before sunrise is ideal because it helps you fine-tune your energy levels to that of the sun. Besides, pre-dawn is also a very soothing and calming time, and the best time to mediate. Waking up later than 6am can make you sluggish and lazy, according to Ayurveda.
All Said And Done, Regular Sleep Is Most Important
Every single successful person in this world – from Margaret Thatcher to Tim Cook – have chosen dawn as the ideal time to wake up. Which means that they follow a very strict and regular sleep routine. So, if you want to be as successful, you will have to ensure you maintain a regular sleep schedule. In fact, a study found out that those students who had an irregular sleeping pattern performed poorly in examinations than those who followed a fixed routine (9).
As you already know, sleeping 8 hours is a must. And if because of your schedule you can’t get 8 straight hours, make sure you make up for the deficit by taking short naps whenever you can. That’s the key to sleeping well.
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