Bedtime Consistency Is The Most Important Sleep Health Goal To Have — Here's Why
According to the Centers for Disease Control, adults should get at least seven hours of sleep a night. This isn't just some random number determined to avoid crankiness, but a researched, proven benchmark regarding physical and mental health. "It's not actually that everyone needs eight hours," clinical psychologist Shelby Harris, PsyD told Today. "It's that most people need between seven and nine ... That's where it comes from."
But as essential as getting the right amount of sleep is, what's even more important is being consistent about it. "By waking up at a consistent time every day, it helps set our body's clock, known as the circadian rhythm, which also helps us feel sleepy at the same time every day and have a sufficient window of time for sleep," health psychologist Julia Kogan told Sleep.com. "All of this can help us get good quality sleep and the proper quantity of sleep." The circadian rhythm keeps digestion, appetite, body temperature, hormonal functioning, and sleep on track. If this master clock, as it's called, is messed with, both the body and brain are negatively affected — which is exactly why you should prioritize sleep consistency.
In general, humans love routines and patterns. Even those of you who like to go rogue, you actually don't. If your sleep schedule is all over the place, then it's time to bring it into focus and give it the familiarity it wants and needs for the sake of, well basically, your life.
It's necessary for your health and longevity
A 2024 study published in Sleep found that those with consistent sleeping patterns have lower risks of cancer-related and heart-related deaths, as well as a 30% overall lower risk of mortality. Granted, we all have to take our leave sometime, but checking out later rather than sooner should be the goal. "Everyone's focused on the eight hours, but if you sleep eight hours at varying times, you're not going to get the full benefit of sleeping enough," board-certified sleep psychologist Jade Wu, PhD, DBSM told Glamour.
As Wu explained, even if you're doing all the "right" things when it comes to maintaining optimal health, if you're not sticking to a sleep schedule in how and when you get your sleeping hours in, "you're not going to get the most out of those good behaviors if your sleep is not consistent." In other words, all that effort to be healthy pretty much becomes moot if you're not going to bed and waking up at the same time every day.
How you can force yourself into consistency
Because your body and brain are predisposed to crave this pattern, it's just a matter of taking the steps to create this healthy habit. A good place to start is by deciding on a bedtime and wake-up time you can realistically stick to based on your schedule. If you currently don't have anything even resembling a pattern, the Sleep Foundation advises putting this new schedule into motion by making 15- to 30-minute-long adjustments over several days until you reach the times that work best for you. If you do it in increments, there will be less shock to your system and you're more likely to make it a habit.
It's also a good idea to be consistent in how you get in the mindset to go to sleep. For example, turning off the phone and brushing your teeth at a specific time every night, dimming the lights to the same level nightly, and setting the thermostat to somewhere between 60 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit, which is considered the best temperature for sleeping, should also be considered. A bedtime routine becomes a habit in itself and triggers the brain that it's time to wind down.
Although this latest study can feel a bit nerve-racking, remember that this type of research is rarely black and white. There are always caveats, extenuating circumstances, and other factors. More than anything, this is a reminder that healthy habits, especially consistent ones, are the backbone to healthier, longer lives.