Anchor your sleep with a steady wake-up time

Sleep is part of your fitness plan, not a break from it. The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines recommend 7 to 9 hours of good-quality sleep for adults 18 to 64, and 7 to 8 hours for adults 65 and older, with consistent bed and wake-up times.

Consistency is often the easiest place to start. A steady wake-up time, even on weekends, gives the rest of your day, including your bedtime, something to line up with.

Being active helps too: the World Health Organization lists improved sleep among the benefits of regular physical activity for adults and older adults.

Try this today: Choose a wake-up time you can keep seven days a week. Count back 7 to 9 hours (7 to 8 if you're 65 or older), add a little time to fall asleep, and set a gentle evening reminder to start getting ready for bed.

• Put your wake-up time in your calendar like an appointment.
• If you tend to hit snooze, set the alarm for the time you actually plan to get up.

Safety note: If you regularly struggle to fall or stay asleep, snore loudly, or feel exhausted despite enough time in bed, talk to your doctor.

Sources

• Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults 18-64 (CSEP) (opens in a new tab)
• Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults 65+ (CSEP) (opens in a new tab)
• World Health Organization: Physical activity fact sheet (opens in a new tab)