It may be in style to party at 5 p.m. and head to bed by 9 p.m.—according to Gen Z, anyway. You can’t make it through a TikTok scroll without seeing someone’s early bedtime routine video encouraging a healthy wind-down, like shutting off screens, listening to calming music, or meditating.Skipping the late-night bar crawl might be paying off, though. Using 2022 data from the American Time Survey (ATS), RentCafe found those in their 20s are getting the most sleep.
According to over two million smart-bed customers from Sleep Number, more people are reaping the benefits of an earlier night’s sleep. The average bedtime for younger adults crept down to 10:06 p.m. this January compared to 10:18 p.m. a year prior.
Standard guidelines recommend adults get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night, and many people are trying to hit the hay earlier in order to do so.Are they onto something?
The benefits of going to bed early
The most obvious benefit of going to bed early is that you likely will get more sleep. When you have an early work day, getting to bed by 9 or 10 p.m. can ensure you reach the ideal eight hours of sleep each night. Getting enough sleep each night profoundly affects physical and emotional health. It can help people age well, feel more energized, and prevent chronic conditions.
You may also get better quality sleep by hitting the hay earlier. The body adjusts to a natural sleep cycle based on the sun and our internal body clock. Due to this, some experts argue that the deepest sleep happens between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.
Going to bed early also may allow you to enjoy the benefits of being an early bird. Research suggests waking up early has more pros than cons, such as being able to take advantage of early morning sunlight, enjoy a slower, calmer start to the day. Studies also show that exercising in the morning—which may require you to wake up earlier—can boost your energy for the day and may reduce the risk of heart disease more profoundly than working out later. Night owls, on the other hand, may be prone to unhealthy habits and have a higher risk of diabetes.
Here’s how to make an early bedtime work for you
Dr. Raj Dasgupta, internal medicine doctor, sleep scientist, and chief medical advisor for Sleep Advisor, says it’s most critical to get the proper quantity—and quality—of sleep to see health benefits. Quality is determined by how well you sleep throughout the night to ensure you get deep sleep, which can be improved by going to bed and waking up at the same time, limiting heavy meals and alcohol before bed, and having a wind-down routine.
“Sleep is very individualized,” says Dasgupta, adding many people who consider themselves night owls may have a later-adjusted schedule that works more adequately for them.
But for those who want to break the habit of late nights, it’s helpful to start slow, Dasgupta says. Begin by pushing back your bedtime by 15-minute intervals until you hit your goal. Practice a 30- to 60-minute wind-down routine where you limit screen time, get in the dark, and do something calming before closing your eyes.
“It’s still important to have a good sleep schedule, be consistent, and have good sleep hygiene,” Dasgutpa says. “I want to encourage night owls that after all the effort you put into moving their bedtime, it only takes one time to get back off track, so it’s really important to be as consistent as possible.”
It may take some time to adjust to a new schedule, so don’t expect things to feel normal right away, Samantha Snowden, a mindfulness teacher at Headspace, the popular meditation app, previously told Fortune. “You’re going to kind of need to connect back to your motivation,” Snowden says. “What is driving this for you? And what do you imagine to be the benefits that you’re really personally going to enjoy and get from this?”
It can help to remind yourself of what you want to gain with an earlier bedtime. Is it to feel more rested, productive, or energized?
Whatever it is, you may find yourself joining the cohorts of those moving their dinner reservations from 8 p.m. to 5 p.m. (Count me in).
FAQs
Begin by pushing back your bedtime by 15-minute intervals until you hit your goal. Practice a 30- to 60-minute wind-down routine where you limit screen time, get in the dark, and do something calming before closing your eyes.
What is the 10 3 2 1 0 rule for sleep? ›
Cut out caffeine 10 hours before bed. Don't eat or drink alcohol 3 hours before bed. Stop working 2 hours before bed. Get away from your screens 2 hours before bed.
How did 9pm become the new boast bedtime? ›
A big part of this is the rise of curating the perfect #nightroutine, which now has over a million posts on TikTok. Although Gen Z might be going to bed at 9pm, they're not necessarily sleeping – look up the hashtag and you'll see videos with pre-bed rituals that can take up to three hours.
What time should a 70 year old go to bed? ›
What Does Sleep Look Like in Older Adults? According to their internal body clock, most older adults need to go to sleep around 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. and wake up at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. Many people fight their natural inclination to sleep and choose to go to bed several hours later instead.
How to sleep at 9pm every night? ›
10 tips to sleep earlier
- Make incremental changes. ...
- Create a bedtime routine. ...
- Control the noise in your room. ...
- Reduce your blue light exposure. ...
- Wake up early every day — even on weekends. ...
- Skip the daytime naps. ...
- Watch what you eat before bed. ...
- Manage your room temperature.
What Is the 10-3-2-1-0 Rule?
- 10 hours before bed: No more caffeine.
- 3 hours before bed: No more food or alcohol.
- 2 hours before bed: No more work.
- 1 hour before bed: No more screen time.
- 0: The number of times you hit the snooze button in the morning.
The 15-minute rule is simple: If after 15 minutes you are not asleep, get out of bed.
Is 9pm too late for toddler bedtime? ›
While a 7pm to 7am sleep schedule might be your dream toddler bedtime routine, most toddlers do best when their bedtime falls between 8 and 9pm. If your toddler fights night-night, it's an indicator that their bedtime may be too early...or too late.
Do you age slower if you sleep more? ›
Sleep also promotes:
Healthy circulation, and slower arterial aging—that's the age-related damage to the body's heart and blood vessels. Sleeping well can lower blood pressure, relax blood vessels and improve blood flow, bringing nutrients—and a healthy color—to the skin.
What age is considered elderly? ›
Traditionally, the “elderly” are considered to be those persons age 65 and older.
People who fall asleep between 10 and 11 p.m. may be less likely to develop heart disease than those who start their slumber earlier or later, according to a new study. For the study, more than 88,000 people ages 45 to 79 wore devices on their wrists that tracked when they fell asleep and woke up for one week.
Is sleeping at 9pm too early? ›
When you have an early work day, getting to bed by 9 or 10 p.m. can ensure you reach the ideal eight hours of sleep each night. Getting enough sleep each night profoundly affects physical and emotional health. It can help people age well, feel more energized, and prevent chronic conditions.
What is the scientifically best time to sleep? ›
You can figure out the best bedtime for your schedule based on when you have to wake up in the morning and counting backward by 7 hours (the recommended minimum per night for adults). For example, if you need to be up by 6 a.m., you should consider winding down before 11 p.m.
Is it normal to sleep at 9pm and wake up at 3am? ›
Waking up at 3 a.m. can be bothersome, but it's not always a sign of a larger problem. Temporary stress could prompt you to wake up in the middle of the night every so often. More frequent wake-ups at 3 a.m. that keep you up for a significant amount of time could be a sign of insomnia or another health condition.
What is the 54321 method for sleep? ›
What is the 54321 method? The 54321 (or 5, 4, 3, 2, 1) method is a grounding exercise designed to manage acute stress and reduce anxiety. It involves identifying 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.
What is the golden rule of sleep? ›
Establish a regular sleep schedule.
Go to bed every night at the same time and wake up without an alarm clock at the same time every morning—including weekends.
What is the 10-3-2-1-0 approach? ›
The 10-3-2-1-0 rule is a five-step process, with the numbers representing how many hours before bed you can engage in certain behaviors. 10 hours before bed you should have had your last caffeinated beverage of the day. Eating and drinking alcohol just before bed can both have adverse effects on your night's sleep.
What is the 10-3-2-1-0 evening formula? ›
Recently, I started the 10-3-2-1-0 sleep rule: 10 hours before bed = no more caffeine, 3 hours before bed = no more food or drink, 2 hours before bed = no more work, 1 hour before bed = no more screen time, and 0 = number of times you hit the snooze button.
