The Best Time to Wake Up Each Day Is All About Genetics

In today’s society, work and school days are often built around a schedule that prioritizes waking up earlier in the day and adhering to a specific timetable when it comes to sleep. With this societal construct in mind, you’re probably aware of what your preferences are, and whether you’re a morning person or a night owl. With this in mind, is there a specific wake-up time or sleep time that is actually better for our bodies? To better understand the spectrum of sleeping and rising times, along with how they affect us, we chatted with sleep expert Dr. Rebecca Robbins.

It Largely Depends on Your Genetics

The ideal wake-up time differs from one person to the next, and is largely determined by our genetics. Sleep scientists refer to these personal preferences as chronotypes. “Our research suggests that some of us thrive in the early part of the day, finding ourselves energized and able to wake up and do our best work, while some of us thrive in the latter part of the day, coming alive and doing our best work after sunset,” Dr. Robbins explains. “We colloquially refer to these two different ends of the spectrum as larks (morning people) and owls (evening people). While some of us are true morning people and others true evening people, many of us are somewhere in the middle, perhaps not waking up terribly early or desiring a terribly late bedtime.”

Plus, the Amount of Hours You Should Be Sleeping

While every person’s body needs something different, Dr. Robbins does mention that some studies suggest those who have owl-like sleep schedules may face greater health risks than those who lean towards the lark side of the spectrum. However, she notes that it is important to recognize the confounding factors that can impact healthy sleep for night owls. “It should not matter when you sleep as long as you can protect a time interval of 7 to 9 hours without interruption and blocked from sunlight,” Dr. Robbins says. For owl chronotypes, this is where the disruptions can come in, with quality of sleep degraded due to sunlight and morning sounds in their environment. 

Early risers who find themselves enjoying the morning hours should not have much difficulty with waking up earlier when needed, but for those who come alive in the late hours of the night, adjusting your wake-up time can feel much more daunting, and potentially even painful. “For evening-oriented individuals, if waking up earlier is a need for personal or professional reasons, you can do so by emphasizing relaxing bedtime activities, such as reading or breathwork, getting off screens, avoiding late dinners, and pulling your bedtime 15 minutes earlier one night at a time to inch your bedtime earlier,” Dr. Robbins suggests. Adjusting by small intervals will allow your body to ease into a new schedule, ensuring that the change can be sustainable over a long period of time. If sleep doesn’t come easily, then there are some proven tactics to help prompt faster sleep onset, like keeping your bedroom cold or doing some light reading in bed.

Considerations Before Choosing the Right Wake-Up Time

While waking up earlier might be the goal, Dr. Robbins does not encourage a sleep schedule that sacrifices sufficient sleep in order for an early wake-up time. When possible, consistency in your schedule, as well as the quality of your sleep, are of highest priority. “Find times that allow for enough sleep, then commit to practicing relaxing rituals before those times, and slipping off to bed at your target fall asleep time,” she says. ”Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule is a significant predictor of daytime performance, mood, mental health, and a number of other important health outcomes.”