What Time Should I Go to Bed? The Best Time to Sleep
What time should I go to bed? See what research says about the best bedtime, how to count back from your alarm, and when tiredness needs a doctor
You fall asleep at one, wake at seven, and wonder why six hours leave you so tired. If you are asking what time should I go to bed, no single hour suits everyone. For most adults the best window is early in the night, giving 7 hours or more and the same wake time daily.
What matters most is that a steady bedtime helps you more than a perfect one you cannot keep. The sections below explain this with numbers.
What is the best time to sleep, according to science?
The best-known scientific answer comes from a UK study that followed more than 88,000 people aged 43 to 79. Their sleep times were measured with a wrist device for a week, and they were then followed for close to six years.
Heart disease was lowest in people who fell asleep between 10 and 11 p.m. Risk was higher in those who fell asleep after midnight, and also in those who fell asleep before 10 p.m.
This study has limits you should know about:
It is observational, so it shows a link and does not prove that the bedtime itself is the cause.
The link was clearer in women than in men.
The researchers themselves say the result needs confirming in other studies.
The practical takeaway for anyone asking what time should I go to bed: sleeping between 10 and 11 p.m. is a good choice for most people, but it is not a rule that fits everyone.
Struggling to fall asleep at a sensible time?
If you try to sleep early and cannot, or wake up tired however long you sleep, the cause may be a sleep disorder rather than a habit. A sleep medicine consultant can find the reason and set a clear plan.
Why timing matters, not just the number of hours
You might sleep eight hours from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m. and still wake up tired. Your body does not treat every hour the same way, which is why the answer to what time should I go to bed is not only about hours.
1- The body clock
A clock in the brain runs on a cycle of about 24 hours and controls sleepiness, alertness, hormones and body temperature. It is reset every day, and light and darkness are the strongest signals that set it.
2- Melatonin and light
The brain starts releasing melatonin, the sleep hormone, as evening and darkness arrive, and morning light switches it off. Blue light from screens may suppress this hormone, so sleepiness is delayed even when you are tired.
3- Deep sleep comes early
Deep sleep is concentrated in the first half of the night, while dream sleep gets longer in the second half. A late sleeper who must wake early for work may therefore lose part of their deep sleep. It is one more reason to think about what time should I go to bed on workdays.
How many hours do you need by age?
What time should I go to bed depends on your wake time and on the hours your age needs. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends:
Teenagers aged 13 to 17: 8 to 10 hours
Adults aged 18 to 60: 7 hours or more
Ages 61 to 64: 7 to 9 hours
Ages 65 and over: 7 to 8 hours
We set out the figures for every age, from newborns to older adults, in our guide to normal sleep hours by age.
Best time to sleep and wake up: count back from your alarm
Instead of searching for one perfect hour, start from the time you need to wake up and count back. This is the simplest way to answer what time should I go to bed for your own routine.
Sleep runs in cycles that last about 90 minutes on average and repeat 4 to 6 times a night. Most people also need around a quarter of an hour to fall asleep.
On that basis, for about seven and a half hours of sleep:
To wake at 5 a.m.: aim to fall asleep around 9:15 p.m.
To wake at 6 a.m.: aim to fall asleep around 10:15 p.m.
To wake at 7 a.m.: aim to fall asleep around 11:15 p.m.
These figures are approximate, because cycle length varies from person to person and from cycle to cycle. The most important thing is to fix the time that suits you and keep to it.
Night owl or early bird?
Some people come alive early in the morning, while others do not feel sleepy before midnight. This difference is natural and is partly linked to each person's body clock.
Teenagers
The body clock shifts later in teenagers, so falling asleep early is hard for them. School still starts in the morning, so sleep debt builds up through the week.
Natural night owls
If you tend to stay up late, your sleep is not necessarily unhealthy. The problem starts when work forces you to wake early without sleeping early, so you lose hours every night. For you, the honest answer to what time should I go to bed is the time that still leaves your full hours before the alarm.
If you want to bring your bedtime forward gradually, the steps are in our article on how to reset your sleep schedule and body clock.
What time should I go to bed if I work shifts?
People who work in aviation, transport, hospitals and factories do not have the luxury of a 10 p.m. bedtime. Here the goal is to protect sleep whenever it is possible:
Keep your sleep time after a shift as steady as you can, even on days off.
Make the bedroom completely dark and quiet during the day.
Reduce bright light on the way home after a night shift.
Avoid caffeine in the last hours of the shift.
Shift workers who stay very sleepy at work despite enough sleep need an assessment, because a sleep disorder may be the cause.
Late nights in Ramadan and holidays
Sleep times shift a lot in Ramadan and over the summer holidays, and many people go back to work or school with a body clock running several hours late.
If you are asking what time should I go to bed after Ramadan or a holiday, a sudden change in one night rarely works. It is better to bring bedtime and wake time forward gradually over the days before you return, with morning daylight to help.
We have laid out a day-by-day plan for this in our sleep adjustment schedule.
Habits that help you sleep at the right time
Settling on what time should I go to bed is not enough on its own. Small habits repeated every day make it happen:
Wake up at the same time every day. It is the strongest signal for your body clock.
Get daylight in the morning and dim the lights in the evening.
Turn off screens at least half an hour before bed.
Avoid caffeine and heavy meals in the evening.
Do not stay in bed if you cannot fall asleep within about 20 minutes. Get up for something calm, then return.
Avoid naps after 3 p.m.
When is trouble sleeping on time a medical problem?
An assessment is advisable if any of these apply:
Marked daytime sleepiness, or dozing off while driving
Repeatedly being unable to fall asleep until very late despite trying
Trouble sleeping or repeated waking three or more nights a week for several weeks
Waking tired every day despite enough hours in bed
Loud snoring or breathing pauses noticed by a bed partner
Does one of these signs apply to you?
Fixing your bedtime is not enough if a medical cause such as chronic insomnia or sleep apnea is behind your tiredness. Book your appointment; appointments run Sunday to Wednesday evenings.
Book an appointment with a sleep consultant
💬 Ask about your case on WhatsApp
Do naps affect your bedtime?
Naps also change the answer to what time should I go to bed. A short nap in the early afternoon may refresh you without spoiling your night. A long or late nap may delay sleepiness at night.
Most adults feel a natural dip in alertness between 1 and 3 p.m., which is why a short nap at that time suits those who need one.
Why Subat Clinics?
If you have fixed your schedule, followed good habits and still feel tired, the problem is probably not timing. At Subat Clinics we look for the real cause:
A consultant in sleep medicine to diagnose insomnia and body-clock disorders
Home sleep studies carried out at home within Riyadh
Cognitive behavioural therapy sessions for insomnia with a dedicated specialist
Online consultations for patients outside Riyadh
How to prepare for your appointment
These details help the doctor answer what time should I go to bed in your particular case:
A two-week sleep log: bedtime and wake time on workdays and days off
Your job and working hours, including any shifts
Your coffee and stimulants, and their timing
How often you wake at night and how you feel on waking
Notes from your bed partner about snoring or breathing pauses
Conclusion
So what time should I go to bed? For most adults, early in the night, and the evidence suggests that falling asleep between 10 and 11 p.m. is a good choice. More important than the clock itself is getting the hours your age needs and waking at the same time every day. If you do that and the tiredness stays, it is a sign to look for a medical cause.
Book your appointment
If you struggle to fall asleep at a sensible time or wake up tired every day, do not put off the assessment. Book now and start by finding the cause.
Address: Othman Ibn Affan Road, Al-Taawun District, Riyadh 12477
Phone: 0112011100
WhatsApp: 0505999713
The clinic is not an emergency facility. In an emergency call 997 or go to the nearest hospital.
Sources:
This content is for health awareness and does not replace a personal medical consultation.
Medically reviewed by: Dr. Ahmed Alruhaimi, Consultant in Pulmonary Medicine and Sleep Medicine, Subat Clinics
Last reviewed: October 2026
Frequently asked questions
Is sleeping soon after the evening prayer and waking for Fajr healthy?
For many people this fits the window the evidence supports, as long as they get the number of hours their age needs.
Can I catch up on sleep at the weekend?
Extra sleep may ease tiredness for a while, but a big gap between workday and weekend schedules unsettles the body clock and makes it harder to sleep at the start of the week.
Do children need an earlier bedtime?
Usually yes, because they need more sleep than adults. Set the bedtime from the school wake-up time and the hours suited to the child's age.
Do melatonin tablets help fix your bedtime?
They may be used in specific body-clock disorders, but the timing and type are decided by the doctor. Taking them without advice is not recommended.