When is the Best Time to Sleep? Here’s What Experts Say & It’s Different from What You Think

Last Updated on 2022-10-10 , 1:58 pm

What time do you normally go to bed at night?

Is what SAF says correct and you have to go to bed by 2230? Or is it any other time?

Well, we’ll let you know the best time to sleep at, and it’s not as straightforward as you think.

It’s All About Quality

According to experts, there’s no precise time because it varies from person to person.

“The time of night when you sleep makes a significant difference in terms of the structure and quality of your sleep,” explains Dr Matt Walker, who is the head of the Sleep and Neuroimaging Lab at the University of California.

Regardless of when it is that you go to bed, the shift from non-rapid eye movement to REM sleep occurs at certain times of the night. Non-REM is said to happen earlier during the night and REM later in the night.

In order to experience deeper and restorative sleep, a person needs to go through both the non-REM and REM cycles.

Say if you’re one who sleeps at 2am or 3am in the morning because you have night shifts, so you will experience mostly only REM sleep cycles that are less deep and restorative which will make you feel super groggy and light-headed the next day.

Experts stated that there is a time range of several hours that’s best for bedtime in order to get a good dose of non-REM and REM sleep and helps you to perform at your most optimum during the day.

The time you sleep at depends on your genetic makeup so if you’re a night owl or a morning lark, the best time to sleep also varies.

Night owls shouldn’t force themselves to sleep early during the night but go to bed when they are the most sleepy to get the most they can out of their sleep.

Besides that, the ideal time for you to go to sleep will also change as you age and all of this is set by biological factors.

So the question isn’t about the best time to sleep, but about what works best for you.

Featured Image: releon8211 / Shutterstock.com