Sleep cycle times
What Time Should I Go to Bed if I Wake Up at 6:30 AM?
To wake up at 6:30 AM at the end of a sleep cycle, go to bed at 10:45 PM for about 7.5 hours of sleep, or 9:15 PM for about 9. These times include about 15 minutes to fall asleep.
Go to bed atRecommended
9:15 PM
6 cycles · about 9 hours of sleep
Go to bed atRecommended
10:45 PM
5 cycles · about 7.5 hours of sleep
Go to bed at
12:15 AM
4 cycles · about 6 hours of sleep · a short night
Go to bed at
1:45 AM
3 cycles · about 4.5 hours of sleep · a short night
Making a 6:30 AM wake-up work
6:30 AM sits in the range most body clocks handle well, close to a typical Bear schedule. Keep it within about an hour at weekends so Monday doesn't feel like jet lag.
Get about 20 minutes of outdoor light soon after waking. It's the strongest signal for keeping your body clock, and tonight's sleepiness, on time.
For a 10:45 PM bedtime, finish your last average cup of coffee by about 5:39 PM, roughly five hours before bed for an average metaboliser. The caffeine cutoff calculator works out yours from the drinks you've had today.
These times assume sleep cycles of about 90 minutes. Real cycles run from about 70 to 120 minutes and change through the night, so treat them as a starting point. For any other time, use the sleep cycle calculator.