Our Sleep Calculator can be used to establish a good bedtime. Answer the questions and select your preferred waking up time to find the best bedtime for you.
Some important facts:
- Most people fall asleep within 14 minutes.
- These 14 minutes is factored into the Sleep Calculator times.
- The Calculator uses 90 minute sleep cycles to establish the best time for you to fall asleep.
- You can pass through around 5 to 7 of these 90 minutes sleep cycles each night depending on your sleeping habits.
- You may feel a bit grumpy if your normal sleep cycle is interrupted.
- If you develop a regular sleep cycle, then waking up at the end of each phase of the cycle will help you to feel properly rested and able to face your day in a positive manner.
Amounts of Sleep for Specific Age Ranges
The National Sleep Foundation and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends the following amounts of sleep for people of different ages:
| Newborn | 0 to 3 months | |
| Infant | 4 to 12 months | |
| Toddler | 1 to 2 years | |
| Preschool | 3 to 5 years | |
| School Age | 6 to 12 years | |
| Teen | 13 to 18 years | |
| Adult | 18 to 60 years | |
| Old age | 61 to 64 years | |
| Old age | 65 years and older | |
The sleep time calculator helps you to get the proper amount of restful sleep your body needs to stay healthy. The InsideBedroom bedtime calculator and waken up timer make it easy for you to set your bedtime or wake-up time based upon certain factors.
There are many factors involved in making sure you get the sleep you need to stay healthy and alert. Choosing the most appropriate bed and mattress for your needs is certainly very important, but so too are the times you go to bed and get up in the morning.
Developing a Regular Bedtime Routine
The human body is very much one of habit. That’s why we tend to eat at roughly the same time each day. In the same way, a regular sleeping routine helps us to stay healthy and keep our minds alert. By setting a regular bedtime your brain is able to rest when it needs to, and your body gets the rest it needs to recover from the day’s activities.
You can set yourself a regular bedtime based upon when you need to wake up and start the new day. A bedtime sleep calculator can be used to inform you of the best time to go to bed, based upon when you have to get up. The wake up timer can set the alarm to wake you up at an appropriate time related to when you plan to fall asleep.
In addition to getting the recommended amount of sleep each day, you should also develop a regular bedtime routine for you and your family. You will not find it easy to get to sleep at the recommended times unless you do this. Everybody needs time to wind down and get their mind and body ready to fall asleep. Here are some tips to help you achieve that with family members of different age groups.
Sleeping Tips for Parents and Infants
Get your infant in a relaxed mood by following a set routine every night. If they know it is bedtime, then you will find that your children will fall asleep much quicker and easier than if you had no routine. For example:
- Giving your baby son or daughter a warm bath and soothing rub with a soft towel.
- Give your child a cuddle, and sing a lullaby or favorite song.
- Give them a favorite soft toy to sleep with, or a favorite blanket. Many young children make an attachment to specific items such as these.
- Always turn the lights out at bedtime. Children should be taught that sleep is associated with lights out.
Tips for Children up to Pre-Teens
Children from post-infant to pre-teens also respond well to a routine. The first rule below will be easier to apply if you start it at an early age. It is also a very important rule in this day and age.
- All electronic devices should be shut off one hour before bedtime.
- Give them a warm bath.
- Failing that, at least go through a washing stage and get them to brush their teeth.
- Read them a story or sing them a song.
- Once again, turn lights out at bedtime.
Sleeping Tips for Teenagers
It is not easy to enforce pre-sleep rules on teenagers, some of whom may be old enough to get married. However, they do help, and you might get more cooperation if you explain why they are necessary. Many are very similar to the rules applied to pre-teens.
- All electronic devices shut off at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
- Bath or warm shower and teeth cleaning.
- Allow them to read a book or write in a diary or journal (paper or electronic – this should be the only time an electronic device is allowed at bedtime).
- Lights out at bedtime – perhaps after a discussion, but try to make it educational, such as how to negotiate in an adult manner without screaming!
Other General Bedtime Rules
These rules apply generally to you and family members of all ages. Some rules are more adult than others, but they have all been established as a means of keeping people relaxed and in a better mood or condition to follow their natural Circadian Cycle as much as possible in their sleeping routines.
- Try to maintain a consistent sleep schedule each day.
- Keep your bedroom relaxing and soothing at a comfortable temperature. Not too hot and not too cold.
- Do not use electronic devices for at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
- Eat only light snacks at bedtime – avoid heavy meals.
- Avoid drinking caffeine in the evening.
- Avoid excessive alcohol consumption just before bedtime.
- Cut back on drinking any fluids before bedtime: you are likely to be disturbed by urges during the night.
Sleep Calculator and How Sleep Works: Frequently Asked Questions
How does sleep calculator work?
Surely everybody is different. Sleep is a complex subject, and we are often asked how our sleep calculator works. How can the sleep calculator suggest a number of different times? Our calculator suggests a number of time slots based upon sleep cycles (see below), and you should choose one of those time slots that is most suitable to you. You may like getting to bed early and rising early in the morning, or you might prefer to wake up later, which means a later bedtime for you.
How long would it take me to fall asleep?
Our studies have indicated that on average, people take 14 minutes to fall asleep once the lights are out and you are relaxing and waiting to fall asleep. Whether you count sheep, write a book in your head or keep your mind blank, it should take approximately 14 minutes before you are asleep. Why not 15 minutes? Well, if you measure the time taken by 1,000 people to fall asleep after lights out, and that time totals 14,000 minutes, then it is 14 minutes per person – not 15 minutes. That’s why!
You mention a sleep cycle – what is that?
The Circadian cycle is the cycle between sleeping and wakefulness. The sleep cycle we generally refer to is the Ultradian cycle. This is the cycle between slow wave and REM phases of sleep (NREM – REM). NREM sleep is light sleep which is followed by deep sleep associated with a dream state of sleep known as REM. A cycle lasts around 90 minutes, and most people usually go through 5 – 6 of these each night (some people can have just 4 and others as many as 7). The sleep calculator figures out the start and end of each cycle to state the best times for you to go asleep.
Which of the several optional waking times provided by the sleep calculator should I use?
Aim for a total of 8 hours of sleep, which a healthy period of time. Choose your time from the most appropriate 8 hour period offered to you. If you sleep for too long, your body can react just as if it has had insufficient sleep.
Why recommend not to drink alcohol before sleeping? Doesn’t alcohol help you to sleep?
Alcohol tires you by using your body’s resources to deal with the alcohol. It puts a strain on your liver and affects your brain. Added to that is the fact that a hangover is not a good thing to wake up to! The quality of sleep under the effects of alcohol is relatively poor. It is best to sleep without alcohol or a stimulant for good quality sleep. If you must drink, then drink water.
What one thing do you recommend for the best quality of sleep – the sleep that leaves you most refreshed when you wake?
Sleep in a comfortable bed that provides your body with the best support, using our sleep time calculator for the best times. The most important factor involved in the best bed for you is the mattress followed closely by the pillow.
Why do people get tired mostly when it’s dark?
A quick answer to that question is that most people work in the daytime when it’s light. They, therefore, feel most tired after work when it begins to get dark, particularly in the winter months. A scientific answer is that when the retina in the eye senses light, or it getting lighter in the morning, it passes a message to an area of the brain known as the hypothalamus. That area is referred to as the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN).
This nucleus activates the pineal gland in the brain which in turn raises your body temperature and promotes the release of hormones such as cortisol, that stimulates the body into wakefulness. So when it gets light, your brain wakes your body up.
Conversely, when it gets dark, the SCN switches the pineal from emitting cortisol to releasing melatonin into your bloodstream. This is a hormone that makes you feel sleepy. So, the SCN is informed when it is light and is time to waken you, and when it is dark and is time to promote sleep.
Sleep Timer and Bedtime Calculator/Waken up Timer: Conclusion
The InsideBedroom sleep timer and bedtime calculator and waken up timer give an indication of the best time for you to go to sleep and waken up. Here is how a sleep timer operates, and lets you know the best time for you to go to bed. It also indicates the best times for you to wake up based upon your natural sleep rhythms. This information is followed by some answers to frequently asked questions.
Disclaimer: The information provided on the InsideBedroom Sleep Timer: bedtime calculator and waken up timer is intended for information purposes only. The same is true of any other sleep-related information or question answers provided on this website. Please refer to a physician or other healthcare professional for qualified advice on sleep-related problems.
