Oh, the joy of sweet sleep. If you can get it, that is. We often wonder if we’re going wrong somewhere when the odd bad night of slumber rolls into weeks and months of poor sleep, and we can’t remember the last time we felt truly rested.
But with so much sleep advice out there, it’s hard to know what to do for the best. So, we’ve turned to the experts to get some definitive answers.
One of the big tips doing the rounds is to tuck ourselves in nice and early. Indeed, the 18th-century inventor and all-round genius Benjamin Franklin famously said: “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”
But 21st-century sleep experts tend to disagree. Despite a UK study claiming to have found 10pm to be the perfect time for most of us to turn in, our individual sleep requirements are far too nuanced for a universally magic bedtime, say our sleep professionals.
But there are plenty of simple things we can do to edge closer to the holy grail of restful, restorative slumber.
Dr Hana Patel is a sleep and mental health specialist, and resident expert for Time4Sleep. She says: “While all adults should aim for seven to eight hours of sleep a night, going to bed when you’re not tired isn’t going to be effective. If your body is not ready for sleep, you cannot force it.
“Instead, try to go to bed only when you’re feeling sleepy, as this will reduce the time you remain alert in bed, as well as the frustration you may experience by being unable to settle.”
A consistent sleep routine – much as it is for babies and young children – is far more impactful on the quality of our slumber than a specified bedtime.
Sleep expert and founder of the Insomnia Clinic Kathryn Pinkham explains: “There is no single ‘perfect’ bedtime; consistency matters more than clock time. I advise people to avoid going to bed too early, as, whilst this can be tempting if we are exhausted, without a strong sleep drive (our body’s appetite for sleep), our quality of sleep tends to be weaker.”
Listening to our bodies’ and minds’ natural sleep cues is key here. For some of us, the idea of an early night is heavenly and we drop off quite quickly. But for others, hitting the sack early is futile, with hours spent feeling restless and exasperated.
Dr Todd Green is a lead GP for NHS healthcare partner Livi, and has a wealth of experience in sleep science. “Good sleep depends on a consistent routine to allow for the right amount – not too much or too little – of high-quality, refreshing rest,” he says.
“While there is no single optimum time for everyone to go to bed, it should be when we are tired but not exhausted.
“Ideally, we want our sleep pattern to coincide with our circadian rhythm – the internal ‘body clock’ that differentiates between night and day.”
As we age, our in-built circadian rhythm can weaken due to a number of factors, including medication affecting our sleep, fewer regular routines and less rigid day-to-night signalling. This can result in lower melatonin levels and lighter, more disruptive sleep. But structuring our days with plenty of time outside, and sticking to consistent sleep routines, can re-boot our body clocks, no matter what our age is.
But it’s bad news for daytime nappers, says Dr Green: “To reinforce and supplement our circadian rhythm, we should develop both a mental and a physical association between going to bed and going to sleep. If we spend too much time in bed when it’s not actually time for us to sleep, we undermine the natural cues of this environment that aid healthy, high-quality sleep.
“Lying down in the daytime for a short rest, particularly after a physically demanding activity, can be refreshing – but we should generally avoid sleeping during this time, or resting in this way (without sleeping) in our bed, as this again risks disrupting the positive regulatory cues associating this environment with sleep at night.”
Pinkham adds: “Sleep is controlled by two main drives, and how well they align determines sleep quality and deep REM sleep (essential for emotional regulation and memory consolidation).
“The first is sleep pressure. This builds the longer you are awake, and helps you fall asleep quickly and get deep sleep early in the night. If sleep pressure is too low, such as after naps or when going to bed too early, sleep becomes lighter and more fragmented.
“The second is the circadian drive, your internal body clock. It controls when you feel sleepy or alert, and strongly influences REM sleep, which is richest in the second half of the night.
“Good sleep happens when high sleep pressure coincides with the circadian ‘night’ signal.”
Dr Lindsay Browning, sleep expert and sleep ambassador at And So To Bed, debunks the common belief that we need much less sleep in our older years. “Actually, the recommended amount of sleep changes very little with age,” she explains. “For adults aged 18 to 64, the guidance remains around seven to nine hours per night. And for those aged 65 and over, it is only slightly lower, at around seven to eight hours.
“While older adults may notice changes in sleep timing, such as falling asleep and waking earlier, the overall amount of sleep the body needs is broadly similar to that of younger adults.”
The 'everyone needs eight hours' idea is indeed a myth. But here’s another opportunity to focus less on numbers, times and generalisations, and more on caring for our own unique needs when it comes to rest and rejuvenation.
“‘Sleep need’ can vary significantly from person to person,” says Dr Green. “Studies measuring brain function (through performance in tests or challenges) after sleep restriction have shown that some individuals maintain their brain function with just six hours of sleep, while others appear to need 10 or more hours to do so.”
And Dr Browning explains that factors such as genetics, physical activity and whether someone is recovering from illness or sleep deprivation can all influence individual sleep needs.
Pinkham adds: “Some people function optimally on six-and-a-half hours, while others truly need over eight. What matters most is not the number itself, but the quality of sleep you get and whether you feel alert, emotionally steady and cognitively sharp during the day without relying heavily on caffeine.”
A sleep trend that’s been making waves is the '5am Club', where participants consistently rise early to exercise and 'reflect', with claims of benefits to energy levels and improved sleep overall. But is earlier really better?
Dr Browning believes not: “There is nothing inherently better for your sleep about waking up at 5am compared to 7am (other than the smug feeling that you are part of the 5am Club!). For people who are evening chronotypes (owls), they are unlikely to get on well with an early bedtime and early waking up, but for those who are naturally morning chronotypes (larks), going to bed early and waking up at 5am may suit their natural rhythm well.
“The most important thing is to get enough sleep, so if you wake up at 5am, it’s likely you would need to be in bed and asleep by 10pm at the latest in order to get a minimum of seven hours’ sleep. As many people need more than seven hours, they may need to go to bed at 9pm or even 8pm to get enough sleep by 5am, a bedtime that many people would find difficult.”
Dr Green agrees: “Selective use of alarms can produce a more regulated wake time, which can have a positive impact on both how good we feel in the daytime and the overall quality of our sleep. However, repeated and excessively early artificial waking will have the opposite effect.”
Very early rising can also cut into our valuable REM sleep, so here we have another reason NOT to force ourselves out of bed well before we’re ready.
Adding relaxing rituals before bed and tweaking a few lifestyle habits can work wonders for more restful slumber. However, it’s important not to put too much pressure on ourselves, to avoid the risk of adding stress to what is supposed to be a relaxing time.
Pinkham says: “Preparation does matter, and lifestyle and sleep guidelines are of course helpful. But it’s important not to turn sleep into a performance. When we add too many rules or spend the entire evening trying to ‘prepare’ perfectly for sleep, it often backfires by increasing pressure and anxiety, which makes sleep harder. Sleep works best when it’s allowed to happen, not forced.
“A short, simple routine that you enjoy and associate with winding down is usually enough. The goal is to signal safety and relaxation to the nervous system, not to control sleep. Consistency and ease matter far more than doing everything ‘right’.”
With this in mind, our experts have recommended a few simple, stress-free things to consider that could naturally boost our sleep quality.
Dr Browning says: “As we get older, waking to use the toilet at night becomes more common, so going to the loo just before bed and avoiding large drinks late in the evening can help reduce nighttime disruptions.”
Dr Patel advises: “Try to develop habits that allow your body to prepare itself for bed. Include soothing things that make you happy, such as listening to relaxing music, reading or listening to an audiobook, or having a cup of caffeine-free tea.
“Relaxation techniques such as a hot bath or shower, stretching and deep breathing may also help to relieve anxiety, reduce muscle tension and allow you to fall asleep more easily. Sleep apps can also help if you’re still struggling.”
Dr Browning says: “Caffeine is a stimulant and can make falling asleep more difficult, even hours after the last drink. Therefore, try to avoid caffeine in the six hours before bed. Also, although alcohol can make people fall asleep more quickly, it causes fragmented, poor-quality sleep in the latter part of the night.”
Preserving your bed as a place for rest (and perhaps also have sex) is best. Also using it as somewhere you work or watch TV means that your brain can start to associate the bed with wakefulness. “By keeping the bed as a place for sleep, your brain maintains a strong link between your bed and sleep, making it easier to fall asleep when you want to,” says Dr Browning.
“Many people spend long periods in bed tossing and turning when they can’t sleep, which results in them getting more frustrated and anxious, making it even harder to fall asleep,” says Dr Browning. “Instead, if you’ve been lying in bed unable to sleep and you start to feel awake or frustrated, get out of bed and do something pleasant and engaging – such as reading a chapter of a book – for a short while, returning to bed only when you feel sleepy again.”
As we’ve covered earlier, going to bed at a similar time each night and aiming to wake up at a similar time each morning can work wonders in supporting our circadian rhythm, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up feeling refreshed. Studies have shown that we cannot fully catch up on lost sleep – therefore, we function much better when we get sufficient sleep every day of the week, rather than trying to play catch-up at weekends.
“We sleep better when our bedroom is dark and quiet, because light and noise can make falling and staying asleep more difficult,” says Dr Browning. “Therefore, ensure you have thick curtains and good-quality double glazing to block noise out.
"Also, an ideal bedroom temperature is 16 to 19°C, which is cooler than many people’s bedrooms generally are. But as we fall asleep, our core body temperature drops by around one degree, and if the room is too warm, we can struggle to fall asleep.”
Dr Patel adds: “If you’re trying to sleep around chaos, you’re not going to have much success. Make sure your environment is quiet, calm and comfortable. Noise-cancelling earphones, heavy curtains, or a white-noise machine or app may help if you’re struggling to drown out environmental noises.”
Eating too late can trigger the peripheral clocks in our liver and gut, signalling unhelpful 'daytime' signals. It can also elevate our core body temperature, and of course runs the risk of unwelcome bloating and heartburn, which is the last thing we need before bed.
Pinkham says: “Finishing your last large meal around three hours before bed, and avoiding heavy, spicy or very sugary foods late at night, along with keeping exercise gentle in the evening, can support better sleep.”
(Hero image credit: Getty Images)
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