We all have slightly different windows of time when our bodies want to be asleep (you’ve probably seen this described as your “chronotype”). If you push your bed time to be later than your ideal window, your sleep score will suffer—even if you sleep in later in the morning to try to make up for it.
This is something I noticed when I wore an Oura ring for months: Getting eight hours of sleep starting at 10:30 p.m. yielded much better scores than getting eight hours starting at 11:30 p.m. or later. I consistently got less REM sleep and deep sleep on the nights when I went to bed later, even if the rest of my routine stayed exactly the same.
What to do: Having a late night out with friends or family every once in a while is no big deal and should be enjoyed. But if you’re constantly tempted to stay up a little late watching TV or scrolling on your phone, naturopathic sleep doctor Catherine Darley, N.D. recommends setting a “bedtime alarm” an hour before your ideal bedtime to remind yourself it’s time to start winding down.