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.
School-age children should go to bed between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. Teens should try to go to bed between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. Adults should try to go to sleep between 10:00 and 11:00 p.m.
0-2 years old: should go to sleep between 8:00 and 9:00 pm. 3-5 years old: should go to sleep between 7:00 and 8:00 pm. 6-12 years old: should go to sleep between 7:30 and 8:30 pm. 13-18 years old: should go to sleep around 10:00 pm.
Going to bed later than 9 PM can lead to insufficient sleep, which may result in behavioral issues, difficulty waking up in the morning, and overall fatigue. It's important to establish a consistent bedtime routine to help them wind down and signal that it's time for sleep.
According to research published in the European Heart journal, going to sleep between 10pm and 11pm is linked to a lower risk of heart and circulatory disease. The study used data from over 88,000 UK Biobank participants aged 43-74, who were monitored over the course of a week.
Studies highlight that sleeping between 10 pm and 11 pm promotes heart health and balanced hormones, improves performance at school, and strengthens immunity by providing essential rest. The benefits of going to bed early have been long known.
Sleeping between 10–11 pm is associated with a decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with earlier or later bedtimes, according to a study — suggesting that this timing represents the optimal sleeping time for better heart health.
Sleep impacts all areas of life. If we stay up late, we may tend to snack on unhealthy foods, impacting our diet and throwing off a healthy routine. If we fail to get the proper amount of sleep, we may get sick more often, have heart issues or become anxious or depressed.
As the sun sets each day and it gets dark outside, you should ideally be winding down to go to sleep. But bingeing that TV show or scrolling through social media keeps you up past midnight instead of hitting the hay at a decent hour. A recent study suggests that going to sleep at 10 p.m. is the optimal time.
Short-term insomnia is usually due to stress or a distressing event. But some people have long-term insomnia, also called chronic insomnia. This lasts for three months or more. Insomnia may be the main problem, or it may be related to other medical conditions or medicines.
Poor sleep hygiene, shift work, jet lag and substance use (including alcohol and narcotics) can all contribute to extreme fatigue. Certain medications can also affect how tired you feel. These include antihistamines, anticonvulsants, antipsychotics, antidepressants, and pain and anti-anxiety medications.
For Gen Zers, going to bed at 9 p.m. is part of prioritizing their mental well-being. Sleep is also essential for brains to function at their best.
Sleepiness or drowsiness is a cue to get ready to sleep. You should naturally prepare yourself by settling down into bed. You make yourself comfortable and, if everything goes to plan, you are soon asleep. If you crawl into bed feeling fatigued, but not sleepy, this may not result in sleep.
“Wet hair is more fragile and prone to damage. Sleeping with wet hair can lead to increased friction against the pillow, causing breakage and weakening of the hair shaft. Moreover, a moist scalp can be a breeding ground for bacteria and fungus, potentially leading to scalp issues.”
Those reasons range from bedtime habits and stress to chronic pain or mental health disorders. Some ways to help you fall asleep include engaging in relaxing or soothing activities. If at-home remedies don't help, seeing a healthcare provider for persistent sleep problems is best.
Your skin uses the time that you are asleep to heal itself from the damage of the day. Getting a good night's rest gives your skin the chance to improve. This is often why you may notice your skin looking fresh in the morning, ready to take on the day!
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. Hit the snooze button zero times.
Compared with a sleep start time of 10 to 10:59 p.m., cardiovascular disease rates were 25% higher when sleep began at midnight or later, 12% higher when sleep started in the 11 o'clock hour, and 24% higher when people fell asleep before 10 pm.
If you regularly lose sleep or choose to sleep less than needed, the sleep loss adds up. The total sleep lost is called your sleep debt. For example, if you lose 2 hours of sleep each night, you'll have a sleep debt of 14 hours after a week. Some people nap to deal with sleepiness.
Study Shows Night Owls Have Higher Risk of Early Death. Night owls—those who go to bed later and wake up later—are technically a kind of “chronotype.” A recent study revealed that this chronotype is more likely to die an early death due to habits they participate in when staying up late.
The study finds that people who go to bed before 1 a.m. are generally healthier mentally, with fewer reported cases of mental, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental disorders, depression, and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
Another study found that people who would be considered as 'night owls', whose activity peaks late in the day and who go to bed much later than most, also have a higher risk of weight gain. Late sleepers were found to consume nearly 250 calories more than 'normal' sleepers.
“Getting to bed around 9.30-10pm is optimal and it is one of the non-negotiables in my sleep protocol,” says sleep expert Dr Nerina Ramlakhan. When we are well rested, our anxiety reduces, mental focus improves, and exercise feels easier. There are long-term benefits to early nights, too.
Among some adults, there appears to be a circadian period of high arousal between about 8-10pm. This has been called the 'forbidden zone' because it is difficult for well-rested adults to easily fall asleep during those hours. Also, lab investigations suggest that some infants may have a forbidden zone between 5-8pm.
Heart attacks at night usually take place after midnight and 4 am. This is the time when levels of a particular blood protein, called PA1, are the highest. This protein thickens the blood. Blood platelets then become sticky, leading to clot formation, which can cause a heart attack.