What time should I go to bed so I don’t wake up tired? Use our sleep calculator to find out

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Research has shown that establishing a consistent sleep schedule can lower the chances of dying prematurely by approximately a third.

— there is renewed emphasis being placed on the need to get a good night's sleep.

What time should you head off to bed to ensure you sleep soundly throughout the night? Enter your preferred wake-up time in our tool below and, based on 90-minute sleep cycles, we'll calculate the perfect bedtime for you to wake up feeling refreshed.

Others – sometimes called "long sleepers" – find it difficult to get through the day on fewer than nine hours of sleep.

Sleep cycles

Worse than having no sleep at all could be irregular sleep patterns, especially when they're disrupted midway, not to mention the fact that various stages of sleep offer distinct health benefits.

It's the first half of our nightly rest that appears to be crucial, says Professor David Ray, a professor of endocrinology at the University of Oxford, as this period is often when the body finishes its "vital repair processes". Disruption to these can leave us feeling extremely exhausted, and we all know that "if we have a bad night's sleep then we end up feeling dreadful", regardless of what time we go to bed.

Keeping a regular bedtime is one of the most effective ways to ensure a good quality of sleep each night, says Charalambos Kyriacou, president of the European Biological Rhythms Society and professor at the University of Leicester.

"People are predisposed to have unique circadian rhythms that dictate their sleep requirements and whether they're naturally early risers or tend to stay up late," Prof Kyriacou says.

“Your natural inclination is genetically determined regarding whether you’re a morning or night person, but in order to avoid disturbed sleep and unpleasant wakefulness, it’s advisable to establish a consistent bedtime routine.”

This is mainly because our brains take us through various stages of sleep while we are asleep throughout the night, each lasting approximately ninety minutes.

"and then a deep wave sleep phase has a tendency to be particularly beneficial for restorative sleep. After this, comes REM sleep, where you dream, and this period appears to be fundamental to processes like memory formation and creativity," Professor Ray notes.

To wake up feeling refreshed, you might find it works best to time your wake-ups for when your sleep cycles are likely to be ending. Our calculator is designed to help you determine a regular bedtime that will allow you to wake up each morning feeling refreshed.

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**What to do in the second half of your sleep cycle**: The last three to four hours are important, as this period is dedicated to deep sleep.

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