How to Fix Your Sleep Schedule: 12 Tips

Throughout the day, your internal clock rotates between sleep and wakefulness. This 24-hour sleep-wake cycle is known as our circadian rhythm.

Your internal clock is located in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. It responds to external cues that tell your body it’s time to go to bed.

Sometimes, your circadian rhythm can get thrown off due to:

• shift work
• all-nighters
• jet lag
• traveling across time zones

Luckily, there are things you can do to improve sleep hygiene and reset your internal clock.

Here are 12 ways to work your way back to a good night’s sleep.

One of the best ways to fix your sleep schedule is to plan your exposure to light.

When you’re exposed to light, your brain stops producing melatonin, the sleep hormone. This makes you feel awake and alert.

Darkness tells your brain to make more melatonin, so you feel drowsy.

In the morning, exposing yourself to light can help you wake up. Try opening the curtains, taking a walk, or relaxing on the porch.

At night, prime yourself for sleep by turning off or dimming bright lights. You should also avoid glowing electronic screens from computers, smartphones, or television, as they can stimulate your brain for several hours.

Making time for relaxation might help you sleep better.

When you’re stressed or anxious, your body produces more cortisol, the stress hormone. The higher the cortisol, the more awake you feel.

Creating a relaxing bedtime ritual may reduce stress and its negative effects on sleep.

Focus on calming activities, such as:

• yoga
• stretching
• meditation
• deep breathing
• journaling
• drinking caffeine-free tea

If your sleep schedule is out of whack, avoid naps during the day. Napping can make it difficult to go back to sleep at night.

Long naps might also cause grogginess, which is the result of waking up from deep sleep.

If you must nap, aim for less than 30 minutes. It’s also best to nap before 3 p.m. so your nighttime sleep isn’t disrupted.

One way to reset your internal clock is getregular exercise.

Most of your tissues — including skeletal muscle — are linked to your biological clock. So, when you work out, muscle responds by aligning your circadian rhythm.

Exercise also helps you sleep better by promoting melatonin production.

Thirty minutes of moderate aerobic exercise may improve your sleep quality that same night. However, you’ll get the best results if you exercise regularly. Aim for 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity at least five times a week.

Keep in mind that evening exercise can overstimulate your body. If you want to exercise at night, do it at least one to two hours before bedtime.

A quiet sleeping environment is a must for a good night’s rest.

Your brain continues to process sounds, even as you snooze. Loud, distracting noises can make it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep.

To remove loud noises, keep your television out of the bedroom and turn it off before bedtime. Turn off your cell phone or use the “silent” setting.

If you live in a noisy neighborhood, white noise can help you get quality sleep.

White noise is a soothing, steady sound that masks environmental noise. You can create white noise by using a:

• fan
• air conditioner
• humidifier
• air purifier
• white noise machine

You can also wear ear plugs to block outside sounds.

Just before bedtime, your body temperature drops to prepare for sleep.

A cool bedroom temperature — between 60 and 67°F (15 to 19°C) — will help you feel comfortable and doze off.

One 2012 study from the National Institutes of Health found that the temperature of the room where you sleep is one of the most important factors in achieving quality sleep.

Anything below 54°F (12°C) or higher than 75°F (24°C) might disrupt your slumber, so be sure to adjust your thermostat.

You can also use an air conditioner or fan during warmer weather, or a space heater during cold weather. These offer the extra benefit of creating white noise.

A comfortable bed is the best sleeping environment for a good night’s rest.

Old mattresses and pillows can cause aches and pains, making it difficult to get quality sleep.

Generally, experts suggest replacing your mattresses every 10 years and pillows every two years.

You should also get a new mattress or pillow if you wake up feeling stiff, or if you feel more comfortable sleeping on a bed away from home.

The firmness of your mattresses and pillows is up to you. But if your mattress is saggy and your pillows are lumpy, it’s time for a replacement.

Want suggestions? Browse our market, filled with editor-trusted and expert-verified pillow and mattress recommendations.

Your circadian rhythm also responds to your eating habits.

A late dinner can delay sleep, so eat your last meal two to three hours before bed. This will give your body enough time to digest the meal.

Eating dinner around the same time each day will also get your body used to a routine.

It matters what you eat, too. Heavy, high-fat meals might disrupt sleep because they take a while to digest.

If you’re hungry, eat a light snack. The best foods for sleep include a combination of carbs and protein, such as wheat toast and almond butter.

Avoid caffeinated drinks like coffee, tea, or energy drinks. As a stimulant, caffeine takes several hours to wear off, so have your last cup before mid-afternoon.

It’s also best to skip alcohol before bed. A nightcap might make you drowsy, but alcohol actually disrupts your circadian rhythm, making it difficult to sleep well.

If you want to fix your sleep schedule, it helps to make one first.

Choose a bedtime and wake-up time. Stick to these times every day, even on weekends or days off. Try to avoid staying up or sleeping in for more than one to two hours.

By following a regular schedule, your internal clock can develop a new routine. Over time, you’ll be able to fall asleep and wake up with ease.

When you eat and digest food, your internal clock knows that you’re awake. That’s because metabolism and circadian rhythm are closely linked.

On the other hand, fasting puts your body on “standby” so it can repair itself. Fasting is also a normal part of sleep.

Try skipping food just before bedtime. Since fasting naturally happens during sleep, it may help you doze off.

Plus, your body continues to burn calories during sleep. If you fast before bed, you’re more likely to feel hungry in the morning. This might motivate you to rise early, then return to a normal sleep schedule over the next few days.

But remember, going to bed on an empty stomach can keep you awake. Fasting may be useful if you aren’t already hungry.

As mentioned earlier, melatonin is a hormone that regulates your sleep cycle.

Melatonin is normally made by the pineal gland in the brain, but it’s also available as a supplement. It can promote relaxation, so people with jet lag or insomnia often use it as a sleep aid.

At the proper dose, melatonin is generally considered safe. Always follow the instructions.

Possible side effects include:

• drowsiness
• headache
• nausea
• dizziness

If you’re taking other medications or have other health conditions, check with your doctor before using melatonin.

It’s normal to have sleep problems every now and then.

Usually, changing behaviors or habits can restore your routine. But if sleep troubles persist, visit your doctor.

You might have an undiagnosed sleep disorder. If so, a sleep specialist can guide you through proper treatment.

Shift work, all-nighters, and jet lag can mess with your sleep schedule. Fortunately, practicing good sleep hygiene can get you back on track.

Before bed, avoid bright lights and heavy meals. Make sure your sleeping environment is comfortable, quiet, and cool. During the day, stay active and skip naps so you can sleep better.

If you still can’t sleep well, visit to your doctor.

How to Fix Your Sleep Schedule: 12 Tips

Throughout the day, your internal clock rotates between sleep and wakefulness. This 24-hour sleep-wake cycle is known as our circadian rhythm.

Your internal clock is located in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. It responds to external cues that tell your body it’s time to go to bed.

Sometimes, your circadian rhythm can get thrown off due to:

• shift work
• all-nighters
• jet lag
• traveling across time zones

Luckily, there are things you can do to improve sleep hygiene and reset your internal clock.

Here are 12 ways to work your way back to a good night’s sleep.

One of the best ways to fix your sleep schedule is to plan your exposure to light.

When you’re exposed to light, your brain stops producing melatonin, the sleep hormone. This makes you feel awake and alert.

Darkness tells your brain to make more melatonin, so you feel drowsy.

In the morning, exposing yourself to light can help you wake up. Try opening the curtains, taking a walk, or relaxing on the porch.

At night, prime yourself for sleep by turning off or dimming bright lights. You should also avoid glowing electronic screens from computers, smartphones, or television, as they can stimulate your brain for several hours.

Making time for relaxation might help you sleep better.

When you’re stressed or anxious, your body produces more cortisol, the stress hormone. The higher the cortisol, the more awake you feel.

Creating a relaxing bedtime ritual may reduce stress and its negative effects on sleep.

Focus on calming activities, such as:

• yoga
• stretching
• meditation
• deep breathing
• journaling
• drinking caffeine-free tea

If your sleep schedule is out of whack, avoid naps during the day. Napping can make it difficult to go back to sleep at night.

Long naps might also cause grogginess, which is the result of waking up from deep sleep.

If you must nap, aim for less than 30 minutes. It’s also best to nap before 3 p.m. so your nighttime sleep isn’t disrupted.

One way to reset your internal clock is getregular exercise.

Most of your tissues — including skeletal muscle — are linked to your biological clock. So, when you work out, muscle responds by aligning your circadian rhythm.

Exercise also helps you sleep better by promoting melatonin production.

Thirty minutes of moderate aerobic exercise may improve your sleep quality that same night. However, you’ll get the best results if you exercise regularly. Aim for 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity at least five times a week.

Keep in mind that evening exercise can overstimulate your body. If you want to exercise at night, do it at least one to two hours before bedtime.

A quiet sleeping environment is a must for a good night’s rest.

Your brain continues to process sounds, even as you snooze. Loud, distracting noises can make it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep.

To remove loud noises, keep your television out of the bedroom and turn it off before bedtime. Turn off your cell phone or use the “silent” setting.

If you live in a noisy neighborhood, white noise can help you get quality sleep.

White noise is a soothing, steady sound that masks environmental noise. You can create white noise by using a:

• fan
• air conditioner
• humidifier
• air purifier
• white noise machine

You can also wear ear plugs to block outside sounds.

Just before bedtime, your body temperature drops to prepare for sleep.

A cool bedroom temperature — between 60 and 67°F (15 to 19°C) — will help you feel comfortable and doze off.

One 2012 study from the National Institutes of Health found that the temperature of the room where you sleep is one of the most important factors in achieving quality sleep.

Anything below 54°F (12°C) or higher than 75°F (24°C) might disrupt your slumber, so be sure to adjust your thermostat.

You can also use an air conditioner or fan during warmer weather, or a space heater during cold weather. These offer the extra benefit of creating white noise.

A comfortable bed is the best sleeping environment for a good night’s rest.

Old mattresses and pillows can cause aches and pains, making it difficult to get quality sleep.

Generally, experts suggest replacing your mattresses every 10 years and pillows every two years.

You should also get a new mattress or pillow if you wake up feeling stiff, or if you feel more comfortable sleeping on a bed away from home.

The firmness of your mattresses and pillows is up to you. But if your mattress is saggy and your pillows are lumpy, it’s time for a replacement.

Want suggestions? Browse our market, filled with editor-trusted and expert-verified pillow and mattress recommendations.

Your circadian rhythm also responds to your eating habits.

A late dinner can delay sleep, so eat your last meal two to three hours before bed. This will give your body enough time to digest the meal.

Eating dinner around the same time each day will also get your body used to a routine.

It matters what you eat, too. Heavy, high-fat meals might disrupt sleep because they take a while to digest.

If you’re hungry, eat a light snack. The best foods for sleep include a combination of carbs and protein, such as wheat toast and almond butter.

Avoid caffeinated drinks like coffee, tea, or energy drinks. As a stimulant, caffeine takes several hours to wear off, so have your last cup before mid-afternoon.

It’s also best to skip alcohol before bed. A nightcap might make you drowsy, but alcohol actually disrupts your circadian rhythm, making it difficult to sleep well.

If you want to fix your sleep schedule, it helps to make one first.

Choose a bedtime and wake-up time. Stick to these times every day, even on weekends or days off. Try to avoid staying up or sleeping in for more than one to two hours.

By following a regular schedule, your internal clock can develop a new routine. Over time, you’ll be able to fall asleep and wake up with ease.

When you eat and digest food, your internal clock knows that you’re awake. That’s because metabolism and circadian rhythm are closely linked.

On the other hand, fasting puts your body on “standby” so it can repair itself. Fasting is also a normal part of sleep.

Try skipping food just before bedtime. Since fasting naturally happens during sleep, it may help you doze off.

Plus, your body continues to burn calories during sleep. If you fast before bed, you’re more likely to feel hungry in the morning. This might motivate you to rise early, then return to a normal sleep schedule over the next few days.

But remember, going to bed on an empty stomach can keep you awake. Fasting may be useful if you aren’t already hungry.

As mentioned earlier, melatonin is a hormone that regulates your sleep cycle.

Melatonin is normally made by the pineal gland in the brain, but it’s also available as a supplement. It can promote relaxation, so people with jet lag or insomnia often use it as a sleep aid.

At the proper dose, melatonin is generally considered safe. Always follow the instructions.

Possible side effects include:

• drowsiness
• headache
• nausea
• dizziness

If you’re taking other medications or have other health conditions, check with your doctor before using melatonin.

It’s normal to have sleep problems every now and then.

Usually, changing behaviors or habits can restore your routine. But if sleep troubles persist, visit your doctor.

You might have an undiagnosed sleep disorder. If so, a sleep specialist can guide you through proper treatment.

Shift work, all-nighters, and jet lag can mess with your sleep schedule. Fortunately, practicing good sleep hygiene can get you back on track.

Before bed, avoid bright lights and heavy meals. Make sure your sleeping environment is comfortable, quiet, and cool. During the day, stay active and skip naps so you can sleep better.

If you still can’t sleep well, visit to your doctor.

Set up a schedule for the Sleep focus in the Health app on iPhone

You can use the Health app to achieve your sleep goals by scheduling your bedtime and wake up times. You can create multiple schedules, such as one for weekdays and one for weekends.

Based on your sleep schedules, the Sleep Focus helps you limit distractions before bed and during sleep. For example, this feature can filter notifications and phone calls and let other users know that you are currently unavailable. You can also schedule a rest period of 15 minutes to 3 hours before going to bed. Focusing “Sleep” is activated with the beginning of the rest period.

Select an alarm sound, vibration and snooze option to help you wake up on time. You can also turn off the alarm completely.

Sleep focus setting

1. Go to Settings > Focus, then tap Sleep.

   If you don’t see the Sleep option, tap in the top right, tap Sleep, then tap Adjust Focus.

2. Set the focus settings.

   For example, you can allow notifications and calls from people who matter to you, customize your lock screen and home screen, and customize how apps and your iPhone work when the Sleep focus is turned on. See Adjusting the Focus.

If you set up short cuts for rest periods in iOS 15, they will automatically appear in iOS 16 as shortcuts for focusing “Sleep” on the Home screen.

Setting the first recurring sleep schedule

When focusing “Sleep”, you can set the next time you go to sleep and wake up. This schedule is repeated only once. To set up a recurring sleep schedule, follow these steps:

1. In the Health app, tap Browse in the lower right corner, then tap Sleep.

2. Scroll down to Your Schedule and tap Full Schedule & Options.

3. Tap First Schedule Setup, then select options.

   • Set the days for the schedule. Touch a day at the top of the screen to add that day to the schedule or remove it from the schedule. The schedule applies only to days marked with solid colored circles.

   • Set the sleep and wake schedule. Drag the button to change the bedtime, the button to change the wake up time, or the half circle between the icons to change both times at the same time.

   • Set alarm options. Turn the alarm on or off.

     When the alarm is on, you can select its ringtone, volume, vibration, and snooze option.

4. Tap Add.

Adding, editing, or deleting sleep schedules

After setting up your first sleep schedule, you can do the following:

• Set up additional schedules. For example, if you have a weekday schedule configured, you can add a weekend schedule. See Add or change a sleep schedule.

• Changing schedules. You can set the bedtime, wake-up time, and alarm settings for all sleep schedules or just the next schedule. See Add or change a sleep schedule.

• Turn off alarms. You can turn off alarms for all sleep schedules, for a specific schedule, or only for the next scheduled wake-up time. See Turn off alarms and delete sleep schedules in the Health app on iPhone.

• Delete schedule. See Deleting a sleep schedule and its alarm.

You can use the Clock app to set one-time and recurring alarms that do not include the Sleep focus.

How to change the regimen for a baby

04/28/2011

718998

274

Child regimen

Author of the article

Elena Muradova 9 0003

Elena Muradova

Head of the BabySleep Center, the first sleep consultant in Russia, author of the BabySleep methodology

Mother of three children

Does the child sleep well, but goes to bed too late, and, as a result, wakes up late? Or vice versa – the baby gets up too early – at 5:00 in the morning, the mother does not get enough sleep and wants to sleep “at least” until 6-7! It is not easy to shift a child’s biological clock, but sometimes it is necessary. It is important to control the process and act consistently.

Child crisis calendar

How to transfer a child to a new mode (we shift the mode forward and backward in time)

In this article, I do not consider situations when the mode “flies” due to illness, teething, flights, etc. In such situations, the mother helps the child to comfortably survive the difficult period. The main thing is to stick to the regime as much as possible, minimize the number of dependencies, and if you introduce such, be aware that you will have to get rid of them later. When the “problem period” is over, help the child return to the routine.

But what to do when the baby sleeps well, gets adequate sleep, but gets up too early or stays up too late. I want to note that we are not talking about newborns: up to 8 weeks, they usually go to bed late. Also remember that shifting the regime to 7-8 months is very difficult. Babies often really need to wake up early in order to set up their optimal sleep schedule. But for children older than 8 months, it is quite possible to modify the regimen, if necessary.

Our internal clock regulates the process of falling asleep, waking up, as well as diet and other body systems. The meaning of “movement” of the regime is to move our biological clock forward or backward in small intervals of time.

It looks quite simple, but most parents often make one of the main mistakes – they only shift the time of going to bed.

Shifting the child’s regimen forward

Choosing the best moment during the day when the baby has enough strength (the child is not overtired) to endure a slight change in regimen. Usually, the last daytime nap or bedtime is suitable for this. Put your baby to bed 15 minutes later than usual. Move all subsequent dreams forward by 15 minutes as well (sometimes meals, if necessary).

There is one tricky part here. Most likely the baby will not wake up 15 minutes later. Our internal clock is fairly stable (some more, some less). Therefore, the baby can wake up at the usual time, only now he has a lack of sleep in 15 minutes. Important — do not let him make up for this lack of sleep in other dreams . In order for you to succeed, it is important to keep a record of sleep all week before changing the regimen and to know how much and when the baby sleeps, to know his norm and sleep habits. Then you can easily control the time of daytime sleep and wake up when it’s time.

Unfortunately, babies may not get enough sleep during this process, they may get tired. It may take you up to 2 weeks to do this work – moving the biological clock forward (depending on the time of the changes – by 30 minutes, an hour, two). Every day or two, you shift the mode by 15 minutes until you reach the desired time.

Example 1. Move mode forward:

Target: Get up at 6:30 am
Current mode: 5:00 am (wake up) – 7:00 am (1st sleep) – 11:00 am (2nd dream) – 2:00 pm (3rd dream) – 5:45 pm (night sleep ). Each nap lasts 1 hour.

Day 1: 5:00 am (wake up) – 7:00 am (1st nap) – 11:00 am (2nd nap) – 2:15 pm (3rd nap) – 5:45 pm (night sleep)
Day 2: 5:00 AM (wake up) – 7:15 AM (1st nap) – 11:15 AM (2nd nap) – 2:30 PM (3rd nap) – 6:00 PM (nap at night), daytime dreams last 1 hour.
Day 3: 5:15 – 7:30 – 11:30 – 14:45 – 18:30, daytime naps last 1 hour
Day 4: 5:30 – 7:45 – 11:45 – 15:00 – 18:45, daytime naps last 1 hour
Day 5: 5:30 – 7:45 – 11:45 – 15:00 – 18:45, daytime naps last 1 hour – 1 day fix result
Day 6: 5:45 – 8:00 – 12:00 – 15:15 – 19:00, daytime naps last 1 hour
Day 7: 6:00 am – 8:15 am – 12:15 pm – 3:30 pm – 7:15 pm, daytime naps last 1 hour

And so on. I can’t tell you exactly how things will develop for you, but you get the basic idea.

Move the baby mode back

You can’t control when the baby falls asleep, but you can control how the baby wakes up. Therefore, if you want to move the child’s mode back to earlier sleep (let’s say the child goes to bed at 22:00 and gets up at 9:00 am), you can do this by adjusting the wake-up time.

If every day you “struggle” to get to bed early from 20:00 to 22:00 pm, or try to start at 21:00 instead of 20:00 the next day, the child will still maintain his usual schedule 2 -h hour struggle before going to bed. I understand that you really want your baby to go to bed earlier, and I offer the following plan.

Put your child to bed at his usual time. And now I’m going to say something that will probably cause a storm of protest and may seem strange, but try to hear me. Wake the child 15-30 minutes before his usual awakening (put to daytime sleep the same 15-30 minutes earlier). Go to bed at your usual time for the night. The next morning, move the morning awakening and afternoon nap again by 15-30 minutes. One of your goals at this stage is to make going to bed easier and falling asleep faster. If this works out, then falling asleep itself can be perceived by the child in a different way (I really want to sleep – I sleep).
Keep lifting the baby a little earlier until you reach your goal. And most importantly — do not let him make up for the missing 15 minutes in other dreams, keep a plan for the duration of dreams.

When baby starts to fall asleep faster, and by this point he may be quite tired, begin to gradually move the bedtime back 15 minutes every day, until the extreme comfort limit when the child falls asleep willingly and quickly. When it takes 10-15 minutes to fall asleep, you have found the very “right” time to go to bed.

Example 2. Shifting the child’s mode back…

Purpose: Going to bed at 20:00 pm, getting up at 7:00 am.
Current mode: 9:00 (wake up) – 15:00 (daytime sleep) – 20.30 (to bed; falls asleep at 22:00). Daytime sleep: 1.5 hours.

Day 1: 9:00 am (wake up) – 3:00 pm (nap) – 10:00 pm (to bed)
Day 2: 8:30 a.m. (wake up) – 2:30 p.m. (nap) – 10:00 p.m. (bed), no more than 1.5 hours of daytime sleep.
Day 3: 8:00 – 14:00 – 21:30, daytime sleep no more than 1.5 hours.
Day 4: 7:45 – 13:45 – 21:15
Day 5: 7:30 – 13:30 – 21:00
Day 6: 7:15 – 13:15 – 20:45
Day 6: 7:00 – 13:00 – 20:30
Day 7: 7:00 am – 1:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Continue with your plan until the child is clearly awake at 8:00 pm.