Health Update: Health Update: What Happens to Your Brain When You Go to Bed at the Same Time Every Night, According to Sleep Experts – What Experts Say– What Experts Say.
Maybe you’re an early riser—either by choice or necessity—or perhaps your body sleeps just a little bit later than most. While a wake-up time is often consistent for many, bedtime can vary dramatically from night to night. “A regular bedtime matters because the body’s circadian system works most efficiently on a consistent schedule,” says Michael J. Breus, PhD, clinical psychologist and fellow of The American Academy of Sleep Medicine. “There is quite a bit of data suggesting that irregular sleep schedules are tied to poor health and worse next-day functioning.” It can also impact you emotionally.
So what happens when you consistently hit the hay at the same time each night for 30 days (or longer)? Turns out, even this short experiment may be a boon to your body and mental well-being.
- Michael J. Breus, PhD, clinical psychologist, fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and chief sleep officer at Orion Sleep
- Patricia Dixon, Psy.D, licensed clinical psychologist and author in Tampa Bay, Florida
- Meredith Beardmore, LMHC, licensed mental health counselor
The Impact of an Inconsistent Bedtime
Your “circadian rhythm” may sound a bit elusive, but it’s very real—and going against the beat can have all sorts of side effects. Dr. Breus says he sees inconsistent bedtimes pretty regularly with his patients, and it causes disruption in both subtle and obvious ways. “This kind of sleep irregularity is like social jet lag—over and over—and there is research to show it affects far more than how rested you feel in the morning,” he says. “In the studies I’ve reviewed, large bedtime swings are strongly tied to worse metabolic health, even when total sleep time is unchanged.” This affects everything from your risk of diabetes to cardiovascular disease to obesity.
Your mental health takes a toll, too. Patricia Dixon, Psy.D, licensed clinical psychologist and author, says that large swings in your bedtime may have an effect on your mood regulation, energy levels, and brain function. “Possible side effects can include poorer sleep quality with more awakenings and lighter sleep, increased daytime fatigue, and reduced alertness,” she says. “You may also experience greater mood swings, increased anxiety or irritability, difficulty focusing, and memory issues.”
Going to Bed at the Same Time Every Night for 30 Days
Successfully met goals have a few things in common: they’re clearly defined, realistic, and rooted in a true desire to change. For example, a 30-day experiment of going to bed at the same time (which is defined as hitting the hay within the same 30 to 60 minutes) feels way more achievable than a vague promise to “sleep better.” And yes, 30 days is actually a long enough stint to see a real change.
Weeks One and Two
The first week or two may take some time for your brain and body to rewire itself, so you may experience some fluctuations in terms of when you actually fall asleep. The goal is to be consistent with when you start your wind-down routine and ultimately slip under the covers. By week two, your circadian clock starts syncing, and falling asleep gets easier. You may start seeing some of the physical benefits, but this is where the soothing ritual of a consistent bedtime starts impacting your mental health, says Meredith Beardmore, LMHC, licensed mental health counselor.
“For people dealing with anxiety, burnout, grief, or chronic stress, bedtime predictability can be profoundly grounding,” Beardmore says. “I’ve seen clients make significant mental health improvements simply by stabilizing when they sleep. When the brain knows rest is coming, it stops scanning for danger, and that changes everything.”
Weeks Three and Four
By the third and fourth week, as your circadian rhythm smooths out, you’ll start seeing more of the benefits of going to sleep at the same time. Physically, Dr. Dixon says this regulated circadian rhythm is a boon to your metabolism and lowers food cravings, and you may find that you have fewer ups and downs in energy throughout the day.
Oh, and the sleep itself? Deeper and more restful in general. That means you wake up feeling better and ready to take on the day, and the impacts of that alone are compounding. “Cognitively, improved sleep makes your attention, memory, and executive functioning sharper, and emotionally, your mood and baseline anxiety tend to be more stable,” Dr. Dixon says. If you stick with it for longer, these benefits become even more apparent. And if you’ve already gone 30 days, you might as well keep it going.