Posted by Dr Sophie Bostock - Sleep Expert on 9th Jul 2024
Sleep Calm & Carry On: What is Sleep Consistency and Why is it so Important?
You’ve probably heard it said before that sticking to a regular routine is good for your sleep.
This is SUCH good advice, that I’m going to say it again ...
Waking up at the same time, as often as you can, is my favourite hack for better quality, more restorative sleep.
Recent studies suggest that sleep consistency could actually be as important as how many hours sleep we get for long term health.
The role our circadian rhythm plays
We typically think of sleep as something that happens at night, but really, it’s part of a 24 hour cycle, or circadian rhythm. These 24-hour cycles of activity and rest are hard wired into every cell in our bodies. You can think of every cell having its own tiny molecular clock. There are different rhythms of activity for sleep and alertness, strength and reaction time, temperature, blood pressure, digestion, and so on.
Why keeping your bedtime and morning routine consistent helps
When we wake up at the same time every day, it helps all of our internal clocks stay in sync, working in perfect symmetry - a little like an orchestra playing perfectly in tune. Exposure to light first thing in the morning is a signal to the brain that it’s time to be awake.
Fifteen or so hours after we wake up, providing that the lights are dimmed, the brain will start to produce melatonin, the hormone that signals the body to prepare for sleep.
But when our routine becomes haphazard, we work shifts, lie in at the weekend, or even fly across different time zones, some of our body clocks shift faster than others. This results in everything working less efficiently – or, to continue with the analogy, the orchestra becomes woefully out of tune. Furthermore, it can leave us feeling foggy and unwell during the day, and our bodies are less ready for sleep.
How to make your sleep more consistent
To improve sleep consistency, try to identify a wake-up time that you can stick to every morning. Ideally, this is a time you can keep consistent 7 days a week.
Once you’ve decided on a wake-up time, set an alarm. If you feel you need it, it’s fine to allow yourself an hour’s extra sleep occasionally. We don’t want you becoming sleep deprived. But from experience, the more days you can stick to your chosen wakeup time, the better the impact will be.
If you don't have the option to be consistent about wake times, for example, if you work shifts, you can still aim to stick to similar meal times. Our metabolism is more efficient during daylight hours, so try to schedule your main meals during the day, at similar times.
Having a consistent schedule means that our brains can anticipate what happens next. And within a week or so, you may find that you start waking up before your alarm, start feeling hungry at mealtimes, and begin to feel sleepier at bedtime.
Recap the advice on sleep consistency
Watch the short video below to recap the advice outlined in this blog post:
In the next step, we’ll look at what to do when you wake up during the night, and struggle to fall back to sleep.
Thanks for reading, and sleep well.
