Sleep Cycle Calculator

    Sleep runs in roughly 90-minute cycles. Waking at the end of one — rather than in the middle of deep sleep — is the difference between clear-headed and foggy. Enter one time below and we'll do the arithmetic.

    Go to bed at one of these times

    9:15 PM
    6 cycles · 9 hours of sleep · recommended
    10:45 PM
    5 cycles · 7.5 hours of sleep
    12:15 AM
    4 cycles · 6 hours of sleep
    1:45 AM
    3 cycles · 4.5 hours of sleep

    Times include the 15 minutes it takes an average sleeper to drift off. If you routinely lie awake longer than 30 minutes, that's a sleep-onset problem worth reading about in our insomnia mattress guide.

    How to use the results

    Pick the earliest bedtime you can realistically keep five nights a week — consistency beats perfect cycle math. If you're waking at the right point in a cycle and still feel wrecked, the problem is usually sleep quality rather than sleep timing: overheating, joint pressure or a partner's movement all fragment cycles without fully waking you.

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