Bedtime Calculator

What time should you go to sleep? Enter your wake-up goal and we'll calculate the ideal bedtimes so you rise at the end of a natural sleep cycle.

Bedtime Cheat Sheet

Optimal bedtimes (4, 5, and 6 complete sleep cycles) for common wake-up goals:

Wake at4 cycles (6h)5 cycles (7.5h)6 cycles (9h)
5:00 AM7:46 PM9:16 PM10:46 PM
6:00 AM8:46 PM10:16 PM11:46 PM
6:30 AM9:16 PM10:46 PM12:16 AM
7:00 AM9:46 PM11:16 PM12:46 AM
7:30 AM10:16 PM11:46 PM1:16 AM
8:00 AM10:46 PM12:16 AM1:46 AM

Includes 14-minute fall-asleep buffer.

Building a Better Sleep Schedule

Knowing when to sleep is the easy part. Sticking to it is where most people struggle. A few evidence-backed habits that make hitting your target bedtime much easier:

  • ✓Dim lights 60–90 minutes before bed. Bright light suppresses melatonin and delays sleep onset.
  • ✓Stop caffeine by early afternoon (6+ hours before bed) - its half-life is 5-7 hours.
  • ✓Keep screens out of the bedroom, or use night mode / blue-light glasses after sunset.
  • ✓A consistent pre-sleep routine (reading, light stretching, journaling) signals your brain that sleep is coming.
  • ✓If you're not asleep within 20 minutes, get up and do something calm until you feel sleepy.