Here’s How to Gradually (and Safely) Shift Your Sleep Schedule

Life is full of transitions. Whether you’re starting a new job, preparing your kids for the school year, adjusting after travel, or simply trying to reset late-night habits, changes to your daily routine can disrupt your sleep schedule. 

Our internal clocks are finely tuned to patterns of light, activity, and behavior. When those patterns shift—even slightly—your body needs time to realign. Research from 2025 confirms that even small changes in sleep timing and consistency can affect mood, energy, metabolism, and cardiovascular health.  

The good news: by making gradual, intentional adjustments, you can train your body to adapt smoothly to new schedules. 

What’s responsible for our sleep cycle? 

Your circadian rhythm is your body’s internal clock that follows a roughly 24-hour cycle and regulates your sleep-wake pattern and other bodily functions such as hormone release and digestion. When it gets thrown out of sync, it may contribute to various health issues like depression, fatigue, daytime sleepiness, diabetes, obesity, low energy levels, insomnia, and other sleep problems.  

Routine changes—whether from work shifts, travel, school schedules, or lifestyle adjustments—can throw this rhythm off balance. The goal is not to fight against it, but to gradually guide it back into alignment.

Ideas to gradually set an earlier sleep schedule 

Considerable evidence suggests that a good night’s rest is essential for recovery, optimal daytime functioning, cognitive functioning, metabolic health, and heart health. And a lack of it is associated with poor physical and mental health and increased risk of chronic diseases.  

If you’re looking to adjust your sleep schedule, know that you’re taking an essential step towards better overall health. Here are ten ways to gradually accommodate your sleep schedule. 

1. Shift your daily routine 15 minutes ahead each day 

Move your entire day—wake-up, meals, workouts, and bedtime—by just 15 minutes at a time. This prevents the “jet lag” effect that big jumps in routine can cause. 

For even more ideas to add into your day to help ease the transition, check out the rest of our list.  

2. Make getting morning sunlight a daily routine. 

When your natural light, it is the most powerful signal to your brain that it is time to be awake. You jolt up your energy levels and prepare yourself for a productive day by doing this. Prioritize natural light in the morning to help reset your internal clock.  

Research shows that daylight may help you go to bed earlier, increase your sleep duration (some studies suggest that an extra hour spent outdoors increases sleep time by 30 minutes), and enhance sleep quality.   

3. Be intentional with self-care. 

Stress may cause high cortisol levels, and this hormone keeps you awake and aroused, even when your body should be relaxed and winding down to sleep – disrupting sleep quality    

Try to be intentional about managing your stress levels by engaging in self-care activities such as journaling, meditation, yoga, deep breathing, taking walks, and other activities that ease your body and make you feel lighter. 

4. Add in exercise to your day. 

Physical activity supports deeper, more restorative sleep. Earlier in the day is best, since evening workouts may be too stimulating. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) mentions that one out of four people don’t maintain adequate physical activity levels. If you’re one of them, the good news is that you don’t have to engage in vigorous physical activity to get positive sleep outcomes as moderate exercises achieve better results.

5. Create a sleep-friendly environment

It goes without saying that to help your body fall asleep at certain times, your environment should be sleep-friendly.   

To make your bedroom a sleep haven, keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet. A comfortable mattress, breathable bedding, and minimizing noise make it easier to fall—and stay—asleep. Uae sleep tech devices like white noise machines to drown bustle from budy neighborhoods.  

6. Avoid eating late at night. 

Late night meals can interfere with digestion and delay sleep on set (falling asleep). Eat at the early hours of the evening—at least 4 hours before bedtime to avoid disrupting your sleep pattern and quality.  

7. Avoid blue light when it’s close to bedtime. 

Blue lights from your electronic devices like your phone, tablet, or laptop may affect your circadian rhythm and impair the release of melatonin around evening time, keeping you awake and unlikely to fall asleep at your ideal sleep time. It’s recommended that people wear amber lenses to protect their eyes from blue light, so their sleep quality is unaffected even as they use their devices.  

8. Follow a relaxing bedtime routine. 

Another way to help your body follow through with your sleep schedule is by creating a set of relaxing activities that lead up to bedtime.  Relaxing activities including meditation, taking a hot shower, reading a hard copy and unexciting book, stretching can cue that it’s time to wind down.   

Consistency is key.  

9. Limit alcohol and caffeine intake to daytime.  

Alcohol and caffeine can affect your sleep times, quality, and duration. To maintain a regular sleep schedule, try to avoid taking them before 5pm to protect your sleep health.   

Another study suggests that although alcohol acts as a sedative, taking large quantities may impair sleep quality and lead to sleep disturbances.  

10. Stick to your bedtime routine. 

Consistency is critical for creating a sleep schedule that helps you sleep better and for longer.   

Try to go to bed at the same time of the night and get out of bed at the same time every day, even on weekends when you may be tempted to go to bed late and wake up late too.  

A sleep-wake routine trains your body to wind down and be alert at appropriate times.  

It may take some time for you to adjust your sleep schedule. But, if you put in the effort and discipline, you’ll thank yourself for building healthier sleep habits that will ultimately help you feel your best each day. Make sure to browse our library for more ideas to help you get the sleep you deserve!   

How SleepScore Can Help

Navigating routine changes is easier with the right tools. Our SleepScore app offers personalized, science-backed guidance to keep your sleep on track:

• Contactless sleep tracking – Monitor your sleep patterns nightly without wearables. 
• Daily SleepScores – See how changes in your routine are impacting rest in real-time. 
• Personalized recommendations – Receive expert-backed tips to adjust your habits and environment for better sleep. 
• Progress tracking – Stay motivated with insights that help you see improvements over time. 

With SleepScore, you’ll gain clarity on how routine shifts affect your sleep—and the practical steps to get back on track. Download the free app today.  

Sources

1. Cleveland Clinic. (2025). “Circadian Rhythm.” Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/circadian-rhythm 
2. National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). (2024). “Circadian Rhythms.” NIGMS. https://www.nigms.nih.gov/education/fact-sheets/Pages/circadian-rhythms.aspx#:~:text=How%20are%20circadian%20rhythms%20related,the%20eyes%20to%20the%20brain. 
3. Colten, H. R., & Altevogt, B. M. (Eds.). (2006). “Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem.” National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519507/ 
4. Wright, K. P., Jr., et al. (2019). “Sleep and Circadian Rhythms: Key Components in Health and Disease.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 96, 259–282. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6751071/ 
5. World Health Organization. (2023). “Physical Activity.” WHO. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity 
6. Lo, J. C., Ong, J. L., Leong, R. L., Gooley, J. J., & Chee, M. W. L. (2016). “Cognitive Performance, Sleepiness, and Mood in Partially Sleep Deprived Adolescents: The Need for Sleep Study.” Sleep Health, 2(4), 342–350. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21679169.2019.1623314 
7. Roehrs, T., & Roth, T. (2001). “Sleep, Sleepiness, and Alcohol Use.” Alcohol Research & Health, 25(2), 101–109. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3227713/ 
8. Cajochen, C., et al. (2011). “Evening Exposure to a Light-Emitting Diodes (LED)-Backlit Computer Screen Affects Circadian Physiology and Cognitive Performance.” Journal of Applied Physiology, 110(5), 1432–1438. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5703049/ 
9. Drake, C. L., Roehrs, T., Shambroom, J., & Roth, T. (2013). “Caffeine Effects on Sleep Taken 0, 3, or 6 Hours before Going to Bed.” Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 9(11), 1195–1200. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5821259/ 
10. Sleep.ai. (2024). “11 Bedtime Routine Ideas for Better Sleep.” Sleep.ai. https://www.sleep.ai/blog/bedtime-routine-ideas/