Sleep Calculator: The Best Time to Sleep and Wake Up

You track what you eat to optimize your diet. You follow your workouts to get fitter. So it’s natural that you are here to use a sleep calculator to track your sleep cycle.

Alongside food and fitness, sleep is one of the critical pillars of health. A consistent sleep routine will not only allow you to wake up full of energy, but you will find that getting the recommended 7 to 8 hours of sleep will allow you to reach your goals much sooner. With the help of a sleep calculator, you can easily create a schedule with ease and lock in a good night’s sleep.

What is a sleep calculator?

A sleep calculator will suggest the best time to go to sleep and wake up. Most sleep calculators factor in how many sleep cycles you will complete within the recommended sleep schedule. 

Do you find that you wake up exhausted and unmotivated even after getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night? A sleep calculator can help you determine what stage of the sleep cycle you are in when your alarm buzzes each morning. Waking up mid-cycle or in the middle of REM sleep can lead to intense grogginess and even sleep inertia.

If you want to improve your sleep routine and learn more about the best schedule for your unique lifestyle, use the Puffy Sleep Calculator.

What is a Sleep Cycle?

A sleep cycle refers to the progression through various stages of sleep. These stages range from light sleep to deep sleep, and finally, REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Each cycle lasts about 90 to 110 minutes, and an average person goes through four to six of these cycles each night. It's crucial to understand these cycles because they significantly impact the quality of your sleep and, by extension, your overall health and wellbeing.

How does your sleep cycle work?

The sleep cycle consists of four main stages: three non-REM stages and one REM stage. The cycle starts with a brief period of light sleep (Stage 1), where you're transitioning from wakefulness to sleep.

Then you move into a slightly deeper sleep (Stage 2) before reaching the deepest period of rest (Stage 3), also known as slow-wave sleep. The final stage is REM sleep, the most active stage of sleep when most dreaming occurs.

Understanding these stages is important as they each play different roles in allowing your mind and body to restore and rejuvenate.

How long is a sleep cycle?

In general, a complete sleep cycle lasts about 90 to 110 minutes, and it consists of five distinct phases. Let's dissect each one:

• Stage 1 - This is the first phase, which is also known as light sleep. This stage usually lasts between 1 to 5 minutes, and is the period between being awake and falling asleep.
• Stage 2 - This stage is a slightly deeper level of sleep, which usually lasts for approximately 10 to 25 minutes. In this phase, your heart rate slows down and your body temperature decreases.
• Stage 3 - Known as the "deep sleep" stage, this phase typically lasts for 20 to 40 minutes. It's during this time that your body begins its physical healing and rebuilding processes.
• Stage 4 - This is the second stage of deep sleep and lasts for around 20 to 40 minutes. It's very difficult to be awakened from N3 and N4 sleep. If you are woken up during these stages, you might feel disoriented for a few minutes.
• REM Sleep - The final stage of a sleep cycle is REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, where most dreaming happens. This phase typically lasts for about 10 to 60 minutes. Your brain becomes more active in this stage, but your body becomes more relaxed and immobilized.

Considering these stages, it's clear that the length of a sleep cycle can vary. Each individual might experience these stages in slightly different durations. A sleep calculator can be a helpful tool in determining the timing and quantity of your sleep cycles, guiding you to optimize your sleeping and waking times for your personal needs and lifestyle.

What's the best time to sleep and wake up?

While everyone wants to sleep at a reasonable hour and wake up bright and early, it isn’t always possible. Commitments like work, children, study, and social life can make it hard to adhere to a suitable sleep schedule.

The best time to go to bed and wake up in the morning will vary from person to person, and it changes as you get older. The first step of creating a sleep schedule is to identify precisely how many hours you should be getting each night. This tends to vary based on a number of factors, including age, lifestyle, and medical conditions.

Age, in particular, is an important consideration. While young kids may need anywhere from 10 to 14 hours, adults will only need 7 to 9 hours. Here are the recommended hours for every age group:

Do you get 6 hours of sleep and feel completely fine? There’s nothing wrong with that. Sleep cycles vary considerably from person to person. It can also take some trial and error to figure out a sleep schedule that supports your lifestyle.

As a guide, you should aim to complete at least 5 sleep cycles. Each cycle is 90 minutes, and completing a 90 minute sleep cycle is essential for ensuring that you feel well-rested when you wake up.

Below you will find an example of the best sleep time and wake up time to achieve 5 cycles per night. Most people take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes to fall asleep, but keep in mind this is just a guide. Time spent in each stage of the sleep cycle varies between individuals.

Should you always stick to a routine?

Yes, it’s important to go to bed and have a consistent wake up time every day. Maintaining a regular sleep schedule is the best way to develop a body clock and wake up without an alarm. Keeping a regular sleep routine helps maintain the body’s internal body clock so you can fall asleep and wake up with ease.

A few small changes to your lifestyle can make it easy to stick to a sleep routine. To ensure you always fall asleep at the same time, create a set of nightly rituals that allow you to stick to your schedule and get sleepy just before bed.

• Don’t use technology 30 minutes before bed. Cutting out all blue light when it’s close to bedtime is a great way to relax and limit distractions that may keep you up later than usual.
• Drink something warm and calming. Replace any late-night snacks with something healthy like a warm cup of milk or chamomile tea. This can ensure you don’t stay up due to heartburn or indigestion.
• Meditate to clear your mind. Many people miss their bedtime because they spend hours lying in bed overthinking. One of the best remedies for stress is meditation. Even 10 minutes of meditation before bed can help you stick to your bedtime routine.

Optimize your bedroom for better sleep

Timing is essential for good sleep hygiene, although it’s not the only thing that counts. To get better sleep, you need to ensure your mattress and bedroom accessories are working for you, not against you.

The thing is, you can have a reliable sleep routine and use a bedtime calculator every night, but if your bed is uncomfortable, you won’t get the sleep you deserve. The most comfortable mattress needs to balance support, comfort, and cooling if you are a hot sleeper.

Ready for a mattress upgrade? These are the two most popular mattresses:

• Hybrid mattress: This mattress will offer you the contouring and plush comfort benefits of memory foam with the added stability of encased coils.
• Memory foam mattress: Memory foam is highly adaptive and a top choice for those who want to relieve pressure points.

Memory foam and hybrid mattresses are both made with higher density materials allowing you to enjoy comfortable sleep every night. Other benefits of these award-winning mattress types are better edge support, motion isolation, and cooling benefits.

Ready for better sleep?

Use our sleep calculator to find the best sleep and wake time according to your lifestyle. Remember that a sleep calculator is just one tool that can help you sleep better. Also, consider eating well, setting up your bedroom with the best mattress, and sticking to the same routine for optimal results.

Your turn...

Have you tried to use a sleep calculator? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Disclaimer. We love sleep and we want you to get the best sleep possible. But we do not provide medical advice. This blog is intended for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical info, diagnosis, or treatment. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on our blog.