Abby Connolly
As the summer winds down and we all have to start getting back into our normal routines for work and school, we all will need to get some solid sleep every night.
Most of us know how important sleep is and have heard that we should always try to get at least eight hours of it every night. But it’s good to know the scientific reasons as to why good sleep is crucial and how you can set yourself up to get some decent rest and wake up the next day refreshed.
Having a good sleep schedule is great for your circadian rhythm, which is a scientific term for your body’s internal clock. Knowing when it’s time to go to bed and when to wake up is all part of your circadian rhythm.
Your circadian rhythm is a 24-hour cycle you want to try and constantly keep in check. If it’s out of sorts, your body will start getting confused about when it needs to rest. It also affects your hormones, mental health, immune system, etc.
You’re going to want to strive for consistency when it comes to your sleep schedule. When you’re falling asleep and waking up as close to the same exact time every day, even on the weekends, it’ll get easier to wake up and fall asleep naturally.
Sunlight plays a big part in regulating your circadian rhythm. So, although it sounds brutal, waking up when the sun has risen around 6:00 to 7:00 a.m. comes with many benefits. With this in mind, it’s a good idea to fall asleep near a window that gets a good amount of sunlight in the morning. Plus, who couldn’t use more time to get things done throughout the day?
Here’s a fun tip: if you struggle to wake up early in the morning, fall asleep by a source of natural sunlight and then make an effort to simply sit up in bed. Then, give yourself a few moments of sitting up and taking in that sunlight before physically getting out of bed. It’s a slow yet more productive process than keeping your head on the pillow and hitting snooze!
When it comes to what time you should be falling asleep, it really depends on how many hours you need to get. Studies recommend that adults 18 and over need to get at least seven hours of sleep each night to have good health.
So, you should look at your daily routine and figure out the earliest time you can wake up while making sure you’d be able to get in your seven hours of sleep each night. For instance, if you’d like to get up at 7:00 a.m. each night, you’ll want to be in bed by at least midnight.
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