Why should I get up at the same time every day?

It's important to wake up at the same time every day because it helps set biorhythms and the sleep/wake cycle properly. Internist and sleep expert Carol Ash, DO, discusses sleep hygiene, sleep debt, and napping.

Transcript

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[MUSIC PLAYING] CAROL ASH, DO: One of the most important things that you can do for yourself is to get up

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the same time every day. What we fail to realize is there is a very sophisticated mechanism in bio-rhythms

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that help maintain wake during the day and sleep at night. And when you don't get up at the same time every single day,

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you disrupt those rhythms, and then they're not there to help support you fall asleep and maintain sleep.

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So very critical, get up the same time every day. Now, most people would say, "Oh my gosh with all the things

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that I have to do, how am I supposed to get up the same time every day? My schedule is so erratic." Well, if you find that you have restricted your sleep,

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you still want to get up the same time every day. And then what you can do then to offset the sleep loss

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is take a nap during the day. Now, you want that nap to be no more than 40 minutes because if you nap for more than 40 minutes,

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you'll start getting into deeper stages of sleep and it'll be harder for you to wake up. You'll wake up confused. And it will start disrupting your sleep at night.

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So think of it like money paid in the bank. You only need to pay so much to pay off your debt, and that's all you need to pay.

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So if you sleep too much during the day, you won't need as much sleep at night, and your sleep will be disrupted. So a nap is fine, but no more than 40 minutes.