The relevance and importance of adopting a positive and healthy night routine cannot be overemphasized in your overall growth as an individual.
I can personally attest to the improvement and growth my life, in general, has gotten since I created a stabilized night routine and I will be answering one of the popular questions I get often, Is 11 pm a good time bedtime?
Is 11 pm is a good bedtime one might wonder. Frankly speaking, there is never a perfect bedtime but there are factors that influence when you ought to retire for the day.
There are several reasons why 11 pm will be a good bedtime for you to go to bed but there are also reasons why 11 pm might not be the perfect time for you so to choose your perfect bedtime or to know when will be perfect for you, stick to the end of the article to find your perfect bedtime.
Why Is 11 pm A Good Time To Sleep?
According to a renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Anior Israel, there isn’t a specific time to sleep.
The human body needs 6-8 hours of sleep for refreshing rest and this forms the basis of the factors that affect the choice of a good bedtime.
Dr. Israel says, while there is no specific answer regarding the best bedtime, the average time most people go to sleep is around 10 pm. “However, 11 pm isn’t too bad to go to sleep,” he added.
Personally, 11 pm is my bedtime for a variety of reasons which I am going to share with you below. If you want to pick 11 pm as your bedtime, here are some reasons it could be a perfect bedtime for you
1. More Productivity
Picking 11 pm as a perfect time bedtime affords you at least an extra hour of productivity from your regular 9 pm or 10 pm bedtime.
And with this extra hour under your belt, a productive individual can achieve more as I have found it useful a number of times.
While I was starting off my blog, this was the perfect time for me to invest and establish my online presence as most of the time I was too busy with school and my 9-5 job.
2. Enhances Your Sleep And Wake Cycle
Looking at the sleep and wake cycle which the brain regulates, Dr. Israel explains that this function of the brain responds to day and night time.
Once the day begins, the brain sends information to other parts of the body that it’s time to be awake and alert while when it’s night, it tells the part of the body that it’s time to retire. Sleeping by 11 pm, therefore, gives consistency to your sleep and wake cycle.
3. There Is Enough Time For Adequate Rest
Studies have shown that the adult human body needs 6-8 hours of rest and with an 11 pm bedtime you can get 6 hours of rest and start your day as early as 5 am.
4. Less Noise Equals Easier Falling Asleep
Living in urban areas or big cities comes with a lot of noise which can make falling asleep difficult.
During my college days living in Downtown Toronto especially on weekends, I usually find it so difficult to fall asleep at my regular bedtime of 9 pm.
It wasn’t until I adopted a new bedtime of 11 pm that I found the environment to be less noisy and which made it easier for me to fall asleep without an adult lullaby (calming music)
At this time, most of my neighbors have gone to bed, most families have retired for the day, most young adults have gone out and my block of flat is usually quieter at this time.
5. Cooler Temperature Equals Relaxing Night
During the day with the sun up high and temperatures reading as high as 100 degrees the environment and our surrounding tends to be hot.
But when night falls, with the sun disappearing and the moon appearing the temperature drops to 77 degrees and less (A typical non-winter night).
This drop in temperature makes our environment cooler from a typical hot afternoon which makes room for a relaxing night’s rest.
6. More Time For Self-Care
Closing the day or retiring from work in the evening can be exhausting. For a refreshing morning, a rejuvenating night routine has to be adopted and with 11 pm as your bedtime, you’ll have lots of hours on your hands to gently practice more self-care.
That perfect time to wallow in your hot bathtub filled with scented bubbles, time to lavish your skin with that soothing moisturizer, and have that perfect lazy self-care night.
If you are into mindfulness, you can get extra hours of meditation to program your mind into a new positive realm for the day ahead.
And if you are in search of a rejuvenating night routine that will give you a smooth and productive morning I have created a proper bedtime/night routine guide that will make your mornings so much easier.
Why 11 pm Might Not Be A Good Time To Sleep?
For family-oriented and career-oriented people, 11 pm might not be a good bedtime because they usually wake up earlier than normal, and waking up earlier than 5 am may lead to easy burnout.
Sleeping late gives room for increased levels of repetitive negative thinking like brooding on a bad experience you had that day or dwelling on reasons why you should have done something differently.
As this can take a number of your time, it can also affect how much sleep you get.
There’s also a high possibility of making this a habit. When you find reasons to not sleep before 11 pm, these same grounds come up on other days, and slowly, you find yourself sleeping later than that.
The moment this happens, it creates risks for so many other effects happening.
How Can I Sleep At 11 pm?
Yes, the merits of sleeping by 11 pm have been clearly stated above. But for different people who have found it a habit to stay long into the night, it’s easier said than done. If you have wondered how to sleep before 11 pm, I have got the perfect remedies for you here.
1. Increase Your Exposure To Bright Light During The Day.
Research has shown that our body keeps a natural clock known as the circadian rhythm. It creates effects on the body, brain, and one’s hormones which in turn gives signals to the body on when to stay awake and more when to sleep.
The circadian rhythm is kept healthy by natural sunlight which in turn boosts daytime energy and also improves nighttime sleep duration and quality. This has been proven to help you sleep better and also earlier.
2. Reduce Long Naps During The Day
As advantageous as short naps might be during this time, long ones can create negative effects on your night’s sleep.
Daytime sleeping might confuse your internal clock which can cause a struggle for you to sleep at night.
However, the effects of taking afternoon naps vary in different people. So you don’t need to worry too much about naps if you take them.
3. Consider Making Adjustments To Your Bedroom Environment
There’s a belief by most people that a bedroom environment and its setup are major factors in providing a good night’s sleep.
Temperature, external lights, furniture arrangement, and noise contribute to a few of these factors.
To make your bedroom more comfortable to sleep in, set it to be a quiet, clean, enjoyable, and relaxing place. This way, you can make plans to sleep at a particular time and fulfill it.
4. Try To Avoid Late-Night Eating.
Studies have shown that late-night eating affects one’s sleep quality negatively and also decreases the amount of time made to sleep.
The type and quantity of food also play a role in creating a disruption in one’s sleep.
Consuming large foods has been found to cause poor sleep and hormone disruption. Though, on the other hand, certain foods taken before sleeping may help.
5. Create A Sleep Schedule
Another key to sleeping at 11 pm is to decipher a sleep schedule you can adhere to every single night, with weekends as no exception.
Sleeping in and staying up late on the weekends can make it hard for you to actively resume different things during the workweek.
6. Prioritize A Relaxed Mood
It is really helpful if your mind is relaxed before going to bed. Additionally, try taking a relaxing shower, avoiding drinks before sleep, getting a comfortable mattress and pillow as well as identifying your sleep disorder if you have one.
All these will assist you to find sleep before 11 pm and utilize a good time for a comfortable night’s rest.
What Do You Do When You Can’t Sleep?
This is a commonly asked question. And just so you know, it’s natural to continue searching for answers when you’ve tried to sleep before 11 pm without success.
It can be pretty frustrating and could even create more stress with time. Here, I’ll be taking you through a couple of things to do when you can’t find sleep.
- Try going back to sleep if there’s any chance you wake up in the middle of the night. Breathe and don’t relent.
- Embrace sleep. Focus on resting and convince yourself you’re tired. This way, your brain responds to this and eases you into finding sleep.
- Be sure to turn off the lights and sounds before retiring to bed. They’ll help you find sleep quite easily.
- Dwell more on positive thoughts to avoid stress or worry.
- Try distracting yourself with something other than finding sleep. Thoughts about sleep itself might not help in cases like this.
- It’s normal to lie in bed for 10 to 15 minutes before you sleep. Don’t stress it. Take your time to get into this mood.
With these, sleeping at the right time will come quite easily to you. But if none of these works, get a diagnosis for any sleeping disorders by a qualified doctor.
Is It Bad To Go To Bed Past Midnight?
Yes, it’s not of any good merit to retire to bed after midnight. Several studies have shown that late sleepers are at a high risk of getting diseases, health problems, and more. Other effects have impacts on the mind and other parts of an individual’s life.
Often called night owls, people that sleep late into the night find a habit in this practice and get into it so much they forget certain important things in their lives like their health.
As much as one incident of going to bed past midnight might seem harmless, it’s easier to fall into this habit more and make it a repetitive one.
Here are certain reasons why going to bed past midnight isn’t one of the best choices to make.
1. Cardiovascular Risks
For quite a number of people, the need to wake up early is a really crucial habit. When one sleeps past midnight, there’s either a risk of waking up late or cutting the needed sleep duration.
However, reduced sleep has been shown by studies to have a relationship with increased risks to cardiovascular diseases.
In the Nurses’ Health Study, researchers discovered evidence of a heightened risk of coronary events in female subjects who gained six hours or less of sleep per night in comparison to those who averaged eight hours per night. Sleeping late causes disruptions in the circadian rhythm and affects certain parts of the body, including the heart.
2. Cancer
In a study of 23,995 Japanese women, shorter sleep duration, especially six hours or less per night, was shown to be associated with a higher risk of breast cancer. Suggestions have been made by researchers that melatonin, which is a main secretion from the pineal gland is a key factor between sleep and cancer.
Shorter sleep gives way for a shorter time for nocturnal melatonin secretion and lower melatonin levels have also been related to a heightened risk of breast cancer. Women, as a result, have been advised to get a lot of sleep.
3. Insomnia
The disruption of one’s natural circadian rhythms is one of the nearly immediate effects of sleeping after midnight, one which has tendencies to lead to insomnia. Staying asleep will be as difficult as also falling asleep. This, in turn, can create anxiety with a host of other effects which stem from the seed of sleep deprivation.
4. Higher Risks Of Accidents
From schools to workplaces, it’s easy to see the effects of sleep deprivation in different places. Reduced efficiency, low productivity, errors, and accidents come up as a result of this.
A major example of a real-world risk connected to sleep risk is decreased driving ability.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “drowsy driving” is a major cause of over 100,000 car crashes each year, giving rise to about 1,550 deaths. Research shows that most crashes are associated with a lack of sleep quality, dissatisfaction with sleep duration, and daytime sleepiness.
5. Depression
Lack of sleep and sleep disorders added to the symptoms of depression over time. In a 2005 Sleep in America poll, people who had a diagnosis of depression or anxiety were more likely to get less sleep than six hours at night. Sleep loss also adds to the symptoms of anxiety and depression, which can in turn make it hard to fall asleep.
In another 2007 study of 10,000 people, those with insomnia were five times as likely to develop depression as those without, emphasizing the fact that the sleep disorder has a very strong link to depression. In fact, insomnia is often one of the first symptoms of depression.
Other consequences of sleeping past midnight include faster signs of aging, slower brain function, and skin problems. These issues depict that sleeping past midnight creates more harm than good for anyone who indulges in the habit.
Does It Matter What Time You Go To Bed?
To begin with, the time an individual retires to bed determines the time they will wake from sleep. One, which is a factor in affecting so many things such as the individual’s well-being, disposition, and also, their lifestyle.
It can be inferred from the discussions above that an individual’s cycle of sleep plays a crucial role in how they approach their activities and the impact on their health in different ways.
Furthermore, an individual’s circadian rhythm is one that’s largely affected by their sleep pattern, quality, and duration.
As a result of the different parts of one’s body this clock influences, sleep as a factor, goes a long way in altering their lifestyle and health.
The body is prepared for future activities during sleep. Recovery and revitalization are ensured and nourishment is given to the mind too.
Bedtime varies from one personality to another. But in all, it matters less when you retire to bed than how consistent your bedtime is.
You are more likely to have good quality and quantity of sleep as long as a regular schedule is kept. But generally, an ideal sleep duration should consist of 7 to 8 hours.
What Is The Best Time To Sleep?
As much as I have discussed sleeping before 11 pm and its merits on your physical and mental state, it is also equally important to let you know the best duration to rest for people of different age ranges.
Below is a table that shows people of different age ranges and the duration of time needed for them to sleep. This table will help you understand what’s best for you and those around you too.
Using the table, you can also create a comfortable schedule that can help you achieve consistency in your sleep patterns.
Age- The recommended amount of sleepÂ
0-3 months- 14-17 hoursÂ
4-12 months-12-16 hoursÂ
1-2 years-11-14 hours
3-5 years-10-13 hoursÂ
9-12 years-9-12 hoursÂ
13-18 years-8-10 hoursÂ
18-60- years- At least 7 hours per night
61-64 years- 7-9 hours per nightÂ
65 years- 7-8 hours per night
Conclusion
While 11 pm might be the perfect bedtime for some people, others might choose to retire to bed at a much earlier time.
Although choosing a perfect time to go to bed ultimately rests with you, it is important to remember that the average adult should have between 6-8 hours of sleep each night.
Think carefully of your unique circumstances when deciding on a bedtime, and when you do, endeavor to consistently stick to it to improve your general well-being and to avoid disrupting your sleep cycle
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