Waking upat the same time every daycan help improve your sleep. Most adults need at least 7 hours of sleep a night.If you struggle to get enough sleep—either due to insomnia or trying to fit too much into each day—a consistent sleep schedule can help.
This article explains how waking up at the same time every day can improve your sleep. It also provides tips for adjusting your waking time and things you can do in the morning to feel more refreshed.
Importance of a Consistent Wake Time
The first challenge may seem inconsequential, but it typically yields results quickly: Wake up at the same time every day, including weekends or days off.Ideally, you would be able to sleep as much as you need to and wouldn’t wake with an alarm clock, but to begin with, you can use one.
You should select a wake-up time that you can observe every day, including weekdays and weekends. For most people, this would mean selecting a time that would allow you to get to work or school during the week and then getting up at the same time on Saturday and Sunday.
Once you have selected your wake time, consider whether it is feasible. This isn’t about making yourself an early bird if you start out as a night owl.
Society may pressure you into believing thatwaking earlieris somehow better and reflective of a hard-working nature. However, plenty of successful people stay up until 2 a.m. and sleep in until 10 a.m.
Consider your own body and your own needs. Pick a wake-up time that you can maintain and don’t let it be too early or inconsistent with your typical, natural pattern in the recent past.
What Causes Older People to Wake Up Early?
Anchoring With Morning Sunlight
Why does it matter to wake up at the same time every day? Think of your wake time as the anchor to your day. Our bodies follow acircadian rhythmand this relies on consistency.
There are many things that you do at about the same time every day, not the least of which is sleep. Anchoring your wake time in place is a cue (orzeitgeber) to your body about when you should be awake and when you should be asleep.
A key part of waking at the same time each day may also be getting exposure to 15 to 30 minutes ofsunlight upon awakening. This light exposure reinforces the body’s circadian rhythm. It enhances wakefulness in the morning and then allows you to sleep better at night.If necessary, consider the use of alightboxin the winter months.
Verywell / Cindy Chung
If yousleep in two hours on a Sunday morning, it is just like trying to go to bed two hours early that night. This may causeSunday night insomnia. A fixed wake time is especially important for people who have difficulty falling or staying asleep, characteristic ofinsomnia.
Does Insomnia Ever Go Away?
Benefits of a Fixed Wake Time
By getting up at the same time every day, you may yield some unexpected benefits. With improved sleep, insomnia and sleep deprivation may be decreased. Consider the following bonuses for observing a fixed wake time:
Avoid Hitting Snooze
It is important that when your alarm goes off at your selected wake time, you get up. You cannothit the snooze buttonand stay in bed for an hour or even nine minutes. You want consistency, and this requires ruling yourself with an iron fist. You might put your alarm clock across the room if you are apt to hit the snooze while half asleep.
It may be necessary to set multiple alarms or even initially enroll someone else to help get you up. In order to track your success, you can record your bedtime and wake time on asleep log. This information will be useful as you implement further changes to improve your sleep.
Using Sleep Restriction for Insomnia
When to Consult a Sleep Specialist
If you struggle to wake in the morning, there may be a bigger problem underlying your difficulty. Poor sleep commonly occurs in the context of another sleep disorder.
A Word From Verywell
If adhering to a fixed wake time daily proves to be a difficult task for you, allow yourself one to two weeks of consistency in your wake times before you make further changes to sleep better.
For further advice to optimize your sleep and resolve insomnia, consider participating in acognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) programavailable online or through a psychologist.
3 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About sleep.Sateia MJ, Buysse DJ, Krystal AD, Neubauer DN, Heald JL.Clinical practice guideline for the pharmacologic treatment of chronic insomnia in adults: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline.J Clin Sleep Med. 2017;13(2):307–49. doi:10.5664/jcsm.6470Mead MN.Benefits of sunlight: a bright spot for human health.Environ Health Perspect.2008;116(4):A160-7. doi:10.1289/ehp.116-a160Additional ReadingKryger MH,et al.Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine. 6th edition. Elsevier. 2017.Qaseem A,et al.Management of chronic insomnia disorder in adults: a clinical practice guideline from the American college of physicians.Ann Intern Med. 2016;165(2):125-133. doi:10.7326/M15-2175
3 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About sleep.Sateia MJ, Buysse DJ, Krystal AD, Neubauer DN, Heald JL.Clinical practice guideline for the pharmacologic treatment of chronic insomnia in adults: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline.J Clin Sleep Med. 2017;13(2):307–49. doi:10.5664/jcsm.6470Mead MN.Benefits of sunlight: a bright spot for human health.Environ Health Perspect.2008;116(4):A160-7. doi:10.1289/ehp.116-a160Additional ReadingKryger MH,et al.Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine. 6th edition. Elsevier. 2017.Qaseem A,et al.Management of chronic insomnia disorder in adults: a clinical practice guideline from the American college of physicians.Ann Intern Med. 2016;165(2):125-133. doi:10.7326/M15-2175
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About sleep.Sateia MJ, Buysse DJ, Krystal AD, Neubauer DN, Heald JL.Clinical practice guideline for the pharmacologic treatment of chronic insomnia in adults: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline.J Clin Sleep Med. 2017;13(2):307–49. doi:10.5664/jcsm.6470Mead MN.Benefits of sunlight: a bright spot for human health.Environ Health Perspect.2008;116(4):A160-7. doi:10.1289/ehp.116-a160
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About sleep.
Sateia MJ, Buysse DJ, Krystal AD, Neubauer DN, Heald JL.Clinical practice guideline for the pharmacologic treatment of chronic insomnia in adults: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline.J Clin Sleep Med. 2017;13(2):307–49. doi:10.5664/jcsm.6470
Mead MN.Benefits of sunlight: a bright spot for human health.Environ Health Perspect.2008;116(4):A160-7. doi:10.1289/ehp.116-a160
Kryger MH,et al.Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine. 6th edition. Elsevier. 2017.Qaseem A,et al.Management of chronic insomnia disorder in adults: a clinical practice guideline from the American college of physicians.Ann Intern Med. 2016;165(2):125-133. doi:10.7326/M15-2175
Kryger MH,et al.Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine. 6th edition. Elsevier. 2017.
Qaseem A,et al.Management of chronic insomnia disorder in adults: a clinical practice guideline from the American college of physicians.Ann Intern Med. 2016;165(2):125-133. doi:10.7326/M15-2175
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