Menu
MattressFirm Logo
Blog Homepage [The Daily Doze]>Lifestyle & Life Moments
Lifestyle & Life Moments

Why You Should Keep Your Bedtime and Wake-Up Time the Same Each Day

A white digital flip clock shows six o'clock on a brown wooden cabinet next to a fresh eucalyptus plant in the living room, with sunbeam shining through the window on a fresh beautiful morning. A brand new day, fresh start, fresh energy, new opportunities.
Getty Images

Good, consistent sleep has a host of benefits: Boosted immunity, reduced stress, easier weight control, better focus and more. But, if it’s typical for you to skimp on sleep all week and then try to “catch up” over the weekend, the bad news is you might not be getting these benefits. Even worse is that playing catch-up with sleep doesn’t really work that way.

Why Can’t I Make Up Lost Sleep on Weekends?

There are a few problems with trying to make up for lost sleep over the weekend. For one, research shows that even one night of poor sleep affects our mental and physical health, and the adverse effects get even worse on days two and three, building what’s known as sleep debt. So by the time the weekend rolls around, you’ve likely already suffered the effects of sleep deprivation: low mood, irritability, impaired focus, aches, stomach issues or other symptoms.

Plus, sleeping inconsistently means you’re upsetting your circadian rhythms, the 24-hour cycles managed by the brain that drive us to eat, sleep and perform other functions most optimally.

“There’s a 24-hour rhythm that governs a whole bunch of things, including when you become naturally sleepy and when you feel naturally wakeful. And you ideally want to sync your actual sleep schedule with that underlying rhythm,” says Dr. Andrew Varga, neuroscientist and physician at The Mount Sinai Integrative Sleep Center. “By having that bedtime and wake time consistency day in and day out, you're going to best sync your sleep times and your sleep schedule to that underlying circadian rhythm.”

Are Inconsistent Sleep Schedules That Bad for You?

Though we have the ability to override the signals we get from our circadian rhythms — you can stay up even when you’re tired, for example — doing so has consequences.

Inconsistent sleep “has multiple downstream effects,” Varga says, noting that it hurts sleep quality, even if you sleep a sufficient number of hours overall. It also affects how we metabolize food, he adds.

“If you have a highly variable bedtime, it tends to mean that you also have a highly variable schedule of doing the other things that you do in your life before sleep,” he says. “One of the big ones is eating. There's evidence suggesting that the circadian timing of eating has important factors to it, that the same meal eaten very late ends up being metabolized differently than the same exact meal eaten earlier. If you eat it at the wrong time, you're more likely to have higher glucose spikes, poor metabolism of things like fatty acids, and so on.”

Research shows that poor sleep negatively affects our metabolic health, putting us at greater risk for type 2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease, and banking sleep on the weekend doesn’t really help that. “You can help your overall health, including some of these metabolic aspects, by having that consistency to your bedtime,” Varga says.

Additionally, consistent sleep and wake times are one of the clearest indicators of sleep hygiene, meaning that inconsistent bedtimes often indicate poorer sleep hygiene. A recent study by SleepScore Labs found that worse scores in sleep hygiene correlated with less sleep and lower SleepScores, as well as less REM sleep.

How to Set Consistent Sleep/Wake Times

Though the notion of having a uniform bedtime and wake time can seem simple enough — just go to bed and get up at the same times every day — in practice it’s not always that easy, Varga says. Revenge bedtime procrastination, work issues, evening plans (known as social jetlag), and schedule disruptions due to a partner, child or pet can all make it hard to keep to a set schedule.

Here are some techniques he recommends for getting yourself on track:

  • Manage light exposure. “The number one thing that really governs your circadian rhythm is light,” Varga says. Getting bright light in your eyes upon waking up is great to get your day started. And shutting off phones, tablets and other devices an hour before bedtime is a good practice for night when trying to wind down light exposure.
  • Eat breakfast. “Being consistent with meal timing is important,” he says. “It’s important to eat breakfast. Food is generally wake promoting. When you ingest food, it's sending a signal to the body, telling the body that it's time to be awake. And if you do that day in and day out, you're sending signals to your body that this is the rhythm.” Stopping eating about three hours before bed also tends to be helpful, he adds.
  • Work out earlier. “Exercise tends to be generally a wake-promoting activity,” he says. “So we generally tell people that if you're going to exercise, it's best to do it in the morning.” Or, if later in the day is better for you, like eating, try to stop three hours before bed.

Stick to the 30-Minute Rule

Though consistency is important, Varga points out that it won’t always be possible, and that’s OK. “I don't want people to not have a social life, and not do things on the weekends with family and friends, because they're trying to adhere to this,” he says. Aim to keep your sleep and wake times consistent within 30 minutes as often as possible, but don’t let it keep you from living your life.

You Might Also Like

Men and his dog napping in new living room during the moving in process.
Lifestyle & Life Moments
Can Sleeping on the Floor Be Good for You? Most of us would prefer to crash on a comfortable, supportive mattress than have to spend the night sleeping on the floor or a couch.
A stack of boxes in a white room beside a chair.
Lifestyle & Life Moments
Moving? How to Safely Transport Your MattressAt some point in your life, you’ll be faced with a challenging task: moving. Whether it’s into a dorm, an apartment or a brand new house, moving can be a tiring event. It can also feel chaotic and overwhelming. Since you’ll soon be sleeping in a new environment, moving is a great opportunity to check in on your current mattress setup to make sure it’s supporting your best sleep and ideal for your new sleep space.
Woman meditating in the lotus position closeup at outdoor swimmi
Lifestyle & Life Moments
4 Things to do With Your Extra Hour of SleepIt's that time again! When daylight saving rolls around, sleepers everywhere are faced with the biannual ritual of changing clocks. Around the autumn season, it's customary to fall back and add an extra hour of time to our days. With this change, we're faced with a challenge: What's the best way to spend the extra free time?
An assortment of wrapped holiday gifts on a wooden table.
Lifestyle & Life Moments
Holiday Gift Guide: Dreamy Gifts for Everyone on Your List—Yourself Included!We know a little holiday cheer can help provide some much-needed relief after the past year. And even if we might be celebrating a bit differently, there’s one thing that remains the same: gift giving! At Mattress Firm, we’re all about gifting cozy comfort, and we have the ultimate holiday gift guide for grandparents, co-workers and everyone in between.
Group portrait of dogs
Lifestyle & Life Moments
Happy International Dog Day!August 26 is International Dog Day. But for some of us, every day is dog day. After all, our four-legged friends are so much more than just pets: Studies have shown that companion animals can improve our physical activity levels, improve our mental health, lessen anxiety, lower blood pressure and decrease feelings of loneliness or isolation.
download bedroom backgrounds for your next zoom meeting
Lifestyle & Life Moments
Zoom Meeting Virtual BackgroundsNo need to make your bed before your next conference call or virtual happy hour with friends — just download one of our bedroom backgrounds below and you are set.
A man and a woman laying together on a bed with their arms around each other.
Lifestyle & Life Moments
How to Sleep Like Your Relationship Depends on ItWe all know sleep is essential for good health. But what happens if we can’t get into a groove with our bed partners? Or if we’re too tired to be good-tempered due to nighttime caregiving or changes in our sleep habits caused by aging? Not only can sleep deprivation trigger an avalanche of health concerns, but it can also negatively impact the emotional and physical aspects of our romantic relationships.
A neatly made bed with white sheets. Breakfast is arranged beautifully on a tray.
Lifestyle & Life Moments
Why You Should Avoid Eating in Bed (With 1 Exception)After a long day, climbing into bed is such a comfort. You’ve probably heard the advice to use your bed only for sleep and sex, but in recent years, all the lines about what our homes and bedrooms are for have blurred. So it’s understandable if your bed has overtaken your couch as your entertainment center and has even replaced your dinner table as a place to chill with a snack or your takeout.
woman relaxing on her bed during an at home staycation home vacation
Lifestyle & Life Moments
5 Ways to Make the Most Out of Your StaycationAll good things must come to an end. But what if those things haven’t even started? If you’re bummed about having to cancel your travel plans this year, you’re not alone. Most of us won’t be traveling anywhere this summer, but there’s still one vacation you can take: a staycation.