Maintain a consistent wake time 7 days a week

What to Do

Set one wake time and keep it the same every day — weekdays, weekends, holidays. This is the single most important schedule consistency habit. Allow bedtime to vary slightly based on sleepiness.

Why It Works

The circadian clock runs on a roughly 24.2-hour cycle and relies on consistent external cues (primarily light and wake time) to stay aligned. Sleeping in on weekends creates a "social jetlag" effect equivalent to flying across time zones. The irregularity destabilizes your entire sleep-wake architecture for the following days.

Tips

• Anchor to wake time, not bedtime — you can control when you get up but cannot force yourself to fall asleep
• If you had a short night, resist the urge to sleep in; the increased sleep drive will help you fall asleep easier the next night
• A consistent wake time is the foundation that makes every other sleep optimization more effective
• Even a 1-hour weekend deviation can take 2-3 days to recover from