How to fix your sleep schedule with a healthy bedtime routine

Why is a sleep schedule so important?

As you sleep, your body repairs and restores itself, and your brain consolidates memories and retains useful information.

But what's the perfect amount of sleep? The short-term effects of lack of sleep, can cause slower reactions and brain fog to irritability and low mood. Research, shows that lack of sleep is associated with poor heart health and poor mental health. But too much sleep is also linked to health issues.

What is a good sleep schedule?

A good sleep schedule or bedtime routine helps you get the right amount of rest. UKCP psychotherapist Heather Darwall-Smith explains: "On average, adults need 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Making sure you have enough time to get the sleep you need is the first step to improving sleep."

Your body clock

Every cell in your body has a biological clock which keeps near perfect time as it is aligned with the near 24-hour cycle of light and dark. Known as circadian rhythms, this tells your body when to eat or sleep.

This timing is biological and is fundamental to managing how much sleep you need as well as the timing. It aligns with a second process - sleep pressure - which needs to be high to make you sleepy, and together they create a sleep window which is your ideal time to sleep.

Adopting a sleep schedule that wakes you up at the same time each day is one effective way of keeping your internal clock on track.

What's your sleep debt?

According to Darwall-Smith, lots of us carry a huge 'sleep debt', meaning we're functioning on less sleep than we need to feel at our best. The tricky thing is, this doesn't always mean our lights are out before heads hit pillows each night. We can still struggle to fall asleep, get back to sleep, or find ourselves waking too early.

Is this situation familiar? Darwall-Smith describes this as a combination of social jetlag and sleep debt.

"This can be sorted by instigating a consistent wake time - give or take 15 minutes - even if you've had a late night the previous evening. Allow yourself the time you need to get enough sleep but don't try to get too much - this won't work."

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What are sleep trackers and do they work?

Sleep trackers have experienced a surge in popularity over recent years. As a nation, we seem to be extremely curious about what's happening with our bodies while we sleep. But, before you start spending money on sleep tracking devices or downloading apps, it may be helpful to understand a bit more about how and whether they work.

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Sleep apnoea

If you have sleep apnoea (also known as obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome), you have many periods when your breathing stops for 10 seconds or more when you sleep. You wake up briefly after each episode of stopped breathing to start breathing again. You do not usually remember the times you briefly wake up but you have a disturbed night's sleep. As a result, you feel sleepy during the day. A typical person with this condition is overweight, male and middle-aged, and snores loudly. However, it can affect anyone. Sleep apnoea treatment usually works well.

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Tips for correcting a poor sleep schedule

Resetting your sleep schedule may sound straightforward on paper, but creating a new, healthy bedtime routine can be tricky, especially when we want to adjust the time of evening we start feeling sleepy.

This is why it's important to address any 'poor sleep hygiene' habits - activities that can seriously affect your ability to fall asleep. Darwall-Smith has some tips on forming healthy sleep habits:

• Understand the importance of consistency but don't become obsessive - good sleep is an averaging out of a positive sleep routine and the right amount of sleep versus not perfect sleep. It's not possible to get a perfect night's sleep every night.

• Dim or turn off the lights near bedtime - your brain is expecting darkness, so bright light exposure during night-time confuses your circadian rhythms and reduces melatonin production, which can make it hard to fall asleep or reduce sleep quality.

• Don't eat too late - eating within three hours of your bedtime routine is associated with disturbed sleep as it confuses your internal clock and inhibits digestion of food.

• Address your stress - cortisol, the stress hormone, can keep you awake. Darwall-Smith advises allowing time for regular rest and relaxation in your day.

• Exercise during the day - moving more will help increase your sleep pressure but be mindful of exercise too close to bedtime. Your body needs to cool down to help you sleep and an intense session is also likely to spike your stress hormones. Experts recommend a minimum 1- to 2-hour gap before bed.

Can an 'all-nighter' fix your sleep schedule?

Different methods work for different people, but Darwall-Smith says that it takes time for your biological clock to come back into sync. She also cautions that resisting sleep for one whole night puts you at high risk of drowsy driving or lapsed attention. "If pulling an all-nighter, don't drive, operate machinery, or make significant decisions. It is likely to take a couple of days to recover."

How long does it take to get used to a new sleep schedule?

This can take around two weeks, in Darwall-Smith's experience. It's important to trust that your internal clock will adapt, which will gradually make your new bedtime routine and schedule a lot easier, and eventually become second nature.