What time should you go to bed?
The right bedtime is the one that gives you at least seven hours of sleep before your wake time, plus the minutes you need to fall asleep. There is no single best clock time for everyone, because it depends on when you have to get up.
Work backward in three steps:
- Start with your wake time. Use the time you need to get up on most days, not the time you wish you got up.
- Subtract your sleep target. The AASM and Sleep Research Society consensus statement recommends that adults sleep seven or more hours per night on a regular basis. The CDC's age bands are 7 or more hours for ages 18 to 60, 7 to 9 for ages 61 to 64, and 7 to 8 for 65 and older.
- Subtract time to fall asleep. If you usually drift off within 10 to 20 minutes, subtract that too.
The AASM's own bedtime calculator works the same way: it asks for your age and wake time and gives the bedtime that fits the recommended hours. It does not use sleep-cycle math. Calculators that count 90-minute cycles are a rough guide at best, because cycle length varies between people and across the night.
Bedtime lookup table
Each row assumes about 15 minutes to fall asleep. Pick the column that matches the sleep you want.
| Wake time |
7 hours of sleep |
7.5 hours |
8 hours |
| 5:00 |
9:45 p.m. |
9:15 p.m. |
8:45 p.m. |
| 5:30 |
10:15 p.m. |
9:45 p.m. |
9:15 p.m. |
| 6:00 |
10:45 p.m. |
10:15 p.m. |
9:45 p.m. |
| 6:30 |
11:15 p.m. |
10:45 p.m. |
10:15 p.m. |
| 7:00 |
11:45 p.m. |
11:15 p.m. |
10:45 p.m. |
| 7:30 |
12:15 a.m. |
11:45 p.m. |
11:15 p.m. |
| 8:00 |
12:45 a.m. |
12:15 a.m. |
11:45 p.m. |
Seven hours is the minimum in the guidance, not the goal for everyone. If you regularly wake before your alarm feeling rested at 7.5 hours, that is useful information. If you feel short on sleep even at 8, move earlier.
How do you turn a bedtime into a habit?
Knowing the number is the easy part. Hitting it most nights is harder. Here is a worked example.
Riley needs to be up at 6:00 for a 7:15 commute and usually falls asleep in about 20 minutes. Riley chooses 7.5 hours of sleep as a target, so lights out is 10:10. In practice Riley has been going to bed around 11:45.
Rather than jumping straight to 10:10, Riley moves bedtime 15 minutes earlier every three or four nights, while holding the 6:00 wake time every day:
| Nights |
Lights out |
Wind-down alarm |
| 1–3 |
11:30 |
10:45 |
| 4–6 |
11:15 |
10:30 |
| 7–9 |
11:00 |
10:15 |
| 10–12 |
10:45 |
10:00 |
| 13–15 |
10:30 |
9:45 |
| 16 onward |
10:10 |
9:25 |
Riley uses the wind-down alarm as the start cue: phone on the hallway charger, lamps instead of overhead lights, teeth, then a printed book. That sequence comes from the bedtime routine guide and the first two weeks of the 30-day evening routine plan.
Two things make this work. The wake time stays fixed, which builds sleepiness for the next night. And the routine starts 45 minutes before lights out, so bedtime is the end of a sequence rather than a sudden decision at 10:10.
How much should bedtime vary?
Aim to keep it within about 30 minutes most nights at first. For weekends, NHLBI suggests keeping the difference between weeknights and weekends to no more than about an hour. The sleep regularity research summary explains why consistency gets so much attention.
When does the answer change?
If your wake time changes during the week
Some people start at 6:00 on some days and 9:00 on others. Choose one anchor wake time you can keep on most days, usually the earliest one you face regularly, and build the bedtime from that. On later-start days, get up within about an hour of the anchor and use the extra time for the morning instead of more sleep. A single steady schedule is easier to follow than two competing ones.
If you are a night owl
If you naturally feel alert late, a sudden early bedtime may just mean lying awake. Move in 15-minute steps, get daylight soon after waking, and dim lights in the evening. The guide on how to wake up earlier covers this in more detail.
If you cannot fall asleep at your new bedtime
Going to bed before you feel sleepy can backfire. The AASM's healthy sleep habits advise not going to bed unless you are sleepy, and getting up after about 20 minutes if you cannot fall asleep. See what to do when you can't fall asleep.
If you work shifts
Your "bedtime" may be 8:00 a.m. The same math applies: count back from your wake time. Keep the bedroom dark and quiet during the day, and talk with a clinician if shift work leaves you unable to sleep or stay alert.
If you have a baby or young children
A fixed bedtime may be impossible for a while. Protect the parts you can control: a short wind-down when you get the chance, and the earliest realistic lights out on nights you are on duty.
If you never feel rested
If you give yourself seven or more hours and still feel unrefreshed, or you snore loudly, stop breathing or gasp at night, or feel very sleepy during the day, talk with a clinician. The CDC advises seeing a healthcare provider if you regularly have problems sleeping.
Next steps
Browse the sleep and evening routine hub or build your own 30-day evening plan using the bedtime you just worked out.
