Why When You Sleep Might Matter More Than How Long You Sleep

I love reading research papers about sleep — the kind that detail exactly what the “right” way of sleeping is. That way, I can confirm with scientific certainty that what I’m doing (like a little revenge bedtime procrastination) is absolutely wrong. Haha.

You know that moment when the house finally quiets after a long day of giving, doing, and juggling everyone else’s needs? You’re exhausted, but instead of sleeping — you scroll. Or my favourite combination: checking sale prices on my go-to websites while a moderately engaging TV show hums in the background.

And knowing that meditation can sometimes equal four to five hours of rest, I’ve convinced myself that I’ve found a great little hack to catch up on lost sleep.

Now, I know — even without reading a single research paper — that this habit isn’t serving my health. Even if I wear my blue-light blocking glasses and call it “me time,” it’s still not considered proper rest. And if I keep changing the time I go to bed, my body will eventually stop appreciating it altogether. Because as it turns out, the timing of your sleep might actually be more important than how much you get.

Your Body Has a Clock — and It Runs the Show

Your body is a creature of rhythm. Every cell operates on a 24-hour internal timer — your circadian clock. It quietly orchestrates everything from your hormone release and metabolism to your energy, focus, and mood.

When we go to bed and wake up around the same time each day, that clock hums in perfect rhythm — releasing melatonin at night to ease us into sleep and cortisol in the morning to bring us back to life.

But when we stay up too late or sleep in to “catch up,” we confuse this internal timing system. It’s like forcing your body to switch time zones every weekend — without ever leaving your bedroom.

The Science Behind Consistency

Research shows that people with consistent sleep patterns — regardless of total sleep time — enjoy sharper thinking, steadier moods, healthier hearts, and even lower dementia risk.

You sold me at steadier moods, thanks.

When we constantly shift our sleep-wake times, we disrupt hormone balance, blood sugar regulation, and inflammation levels.

One Harvard study even found that sleep regularity was a stronger predictor of long-term health and longevity than sleep duration.

So yes, you might technically get eight hours — but if those hours move around the clock, your body still feels jet-lagged.

How I’m Changing My Evening Rhythm

I’m taking this research to heart — and making a few changes that feel realistic, gentle, and actually enjoyable.

• I’ll stick to waking up at the same time. No matter how tempting the snooze button looks, I’ll aim to rise around the same time each morning.

  
  

• I’ll enjoy my morning tea or coffee outside. My little eyeballs deserve that natural sunlight wake-up boost — and honestly, it’s such a simple, grounding pleasure.

  
  

• More reading, fewer screens. Instead of splitting my attention between two glowing rectangles (TV + phone), I’ll go back to something that actually helps me wind down.

  
  

• Somatic movement before bed. I subscribed to a course ages ago and, let’s just say… consistency hasn’t been my strong suit. But here we come, new evening routine me.

Funny thing is, I’ve got all the tools to rewire habits — it’s literally what I help others do — but until now, I didn’t value my evening routine enough to actively change it.

So, I’m aiming for 60 days of steady practice. Once it’s set, I can move on to other goals. Fingers crossed (no, not really — no need). I’ll just hypnotise myself to love doing all of the above. Easy.