We all know that sleep is essential for good health; however, recent research suggests that quality sleep and athletic performance begin with the proper bedtime.
The study, published in June of this year in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, had nearly 20,000 people wear fitness trackers for a year and discovered that those who went to bed earlier than usual engaged in the most moderate-to-vigorous physical activity the next day, even though participants slept the same amount of time as they typically did. “Going to sleep earlier than usual may be an effective strategy to maintain normal sleep duration while also optimizing next-day physical activity,” the researchers wrote.
Personally, I’ve always struggled to stay up late, but I notice that when I give in to my natural desire to go to bed early, I feel more invigorated and ready to tackle my training runs than when I go to bed way past my bedtime. Now, I make it a point to hit the sheets the night before hard workout days and races to give myself the best chance of success.
Of course, everyone’s biorhythms are different. How can you figure out what your bedtime should be to maximize your performance? Three sleep specialists share a guide on calculating the best time to go to sleep based on your performance goals.
What to Consider Before Choosing a Bedtime
“Consistent and adequate sleep can improve daytime concentration and productivity, which can boost exercise performance,” says Dr. Madeleine Basist, a pulmonologist and sleep medicine fellow at Northwell’s Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
Getting the right amount of sleep can also help you have the energy to power through your next workout, points out Dr. Christopher Winter, a neurologist and sleep medicine physician based in Virginia, and host of the Sleep Unplugged podcast.
At baseline, a consistent sleep and wake time can go a long way toward supporting your health and your performance. “It helps our brains align our circadian rhythms—body clocks—which means we can be healthier and more fit,” says Dr. Beth Malow, a neurologist based in Nashville, Tennessee.
But every person’s internal clock is different, and so are the various elements that can impact your optimal bedtime.
Doctors suggest keeping the following factors in mind when choosing a bedtime.
Chronotype: Are You an Early Bird or Night Owl?
Your chronotype is the natural desire of your body to go to sleep at a certain time, Basist explains. It’s what people mean when they use terms like “morning bird” and “night owl.”
“When given the choice, choosing a bedtime that is at odds with your chronotype can be challenging as, by definition, you are choosing a sleep-wake schedule that is not aligned with what your body prefers naturally,” Winter says. If your work and lifestyle allow for it, choosing a bedtime that aligns with your body’s natural rhythm is ideal, he adds.
Your Work Schedule
Do you work standard hours, do shift work, or work overnights? You should factor this in here. Depending on when you need to be at work, it will impact the time you should get up, so you’ll need to calculate backwards to make sure you conk out at the right time, Malow says.
Your Day-to-Day Responsibilities
Having young kids and evening responsibilities should factor into your ideal bedtime, too. However, Malow recommends doing what you can to minimize social obligations that can interfere with your bedtime. “Try not to overschedule, if you can, so you can get sufficient sleep,” she says.
Sleep Disorders or Medical Conditions
If you have a sleep disorder or other underlying medical condition, it’s crucial to do what you can to treat and manage it well. But this can be easier said than done. “Generally speaking, untreated medical conditions and sleep disorders result in earlier bedtimes as the individual seeks to compensate for poor sleep quality with more sleep quantity,” Winter says.
Desired Training Frequency
Are you planning to train twice a week or six times a week? Your bedtime should reflect that to make sure you get adequate sleep for your recovery. “A realistic bedtime should align with your planned daily commitments and training hours,” Basist says.
Desired Training Time of Day
Do you plan to train in the morning, midday, or evening? This should be based on your chronotype as much as possible, according to Malow. “If you are a morning lark, aim for exercise in the morning,” she says. “If a night owl, exercise later in the day, but avoid too close to bedtime as that can be stimulating and interfere with sleep.”
How to Calculate the Exact Time You Should Go to Sleep for Optimal Athletic Performance
Because your fitness goals, chronotype, and daily life are different from everyone else’s, it’s important to choose your ideal bedtime based on your own needs.
Our experts recommend going through the following steps to calculate the optimal bedtime for your performance goals.
Step 1: Choose Your Target Wake Time
Few people can roll right out of bed and start training immediately. Even if you feel you can handle this, it’s best to put a little distance between your wake time and the start of your training to ensure you’ll be able to perform at the level you want, Winter says.
Of course, you’ll also want to factor in the amount of time your workout will take and when you need to be at work or other obligations. (This is less of an issue if you’re planning on a midday or evening workout, but should factor into your bedtime calculation.)
Step 2: Work Backwards from Wake Time
You likely have a good sense of how much sleep you need to feel well-rested. But public health recommendations suggest getting at least seven hours of sleep, and you’ll likely need more to compensate for higher levels of training intensity as well as your own personal preference. When calculating this, include an extra ten- to 30-minute window to actually fall asleep.
Step 3: Factor in Recovery Demands
If your training involves light to moderate exercise two to three times a week, seven to eight hours of sleep may be enough, Winter says. But if you’re planning to do more intense exercise for five to six days a week, you may want to aim for eight to nine hours.
“Increase sleep time if rigorous training is leaving you feeling tired,” Winter says. “Elite athletes can see swings of several hours in their sleep depending on whether or not they are training hard or relaxing more in the off-season.”
Still, your personal needs will influence how much sleep you should get. “Seven to eight hours may be enough for some,” Malow says.
Step 4: Account for Sleep Quality
If you struggle to have consistent sleep, you may need to factor in additional time when choosing a bedtime. Malow recommends getting out of bed if you can’t sleep, noting that if you lie there, your mind will start to associate your bed with not sleeping. But that time out of bed should be considered when calculating when to get into bed.
For someone who doesn’t sleep right away, you might need to hop in bed 15 to 20 minutes earlier than I would.
If you find you’re regularly struggling to go to sleep at the time of your choosing, Malow says you may need to go to bed later. She also stresses the importance of focusing on sleep hygiene, limiting screen time before bed, and having a winding-down routine before you get into bed.
Step 5: Test and Adjust
The best bedtime for you can be tricky to calculate, given how many variables there are to consider. If you’re adjusting your bedtime, doctors recommend trying it out for a week while tracking your energy, workout performance, and recovery. Then, you can adjust your bedtime if you’re still tired or if you feel that your performance is lacking. “The key is to understand your individual needs and adjust your sleep schedule accordingly,” Basist says.
I Followed Those Steps to Calculate My Ideal Bedtime
I’m a morning bird who exercises six days a week, alternating between running, cycling, and strength-training workouts. I have four young kids and work full-time, so I prefer to exercise in the morning before my day gets chaotic. My kids go to bed around 8:30 p.m., and I need to be up around 5 a.m. to fit in a workout before getting them ready for the day.
To get eight hours of sleep, that means my ideal bedtime would be around 9 p.m.
I don’t need to allot much time for myself to fall asleep because I knock out pretty quickly after my head hits the pillow. For someone who doesn’t sleep right away, you might need to hop in bed 15 to 20 minutes earlier than I would.
If I want to do some HIIT the next day, I might need to get in bed right after I put my kids to bed at 8:30.
While there are some nights that I tend to go to bed a little later than 9 o’clock (I sometimes try to squeeze in a couple of nighttime chores), I do feel well rested and better able to push myself when I actually go to bed at 9 p.m.
The Bottom Line
Sleep is complicated, and it’s difficult to have the exact same bedtime every night. However, doctors say that aiming for consistency is key.
“While our brain and body’s neurotransmitters, hormones, and other chemicals are always in a state of flux, their patterns of influence follow predictable 24-hour patterns,” Winter says. “Since sleep represents a very dynamic and large-scale state change of these chemical patterns, the timing of when we enter sleep and exit sleep influences those chemical changes dramatically.”
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