A sweet spot for sweet dreams? Sleep experts believe they have cracked the code on the perfect time to turn in for the best sleep! @ellenvoramd recently explained to @mindbodygreen THE optimal time for shut eye is around 3 hours after sunset:
“If we push past that point, we get what’s called ‘overtired,'” she says, adding that this causes the body to catch a second wind. “Your body says, ‘There must be some good reason we’re staying awake past the point of being tired,’ so we release our stress hormone cortisol.”
“Cortisol causes us to feel wired and tired at the same time and makes it hard to both fall asleep and stay asleep, she says.”
With the days becoming shorter as we head into the fall, it means our bedtime needs to come sooner than it does during the dog days of summer, where late sun means later bedtimes. It makes sense, as we’ve long known our circadian rhythm is based on the sun rising and setting.
Since it’s not always possible to nail this magic time slot, Vora notes, no matter when you hit the hay, aim for at least 7 hours of sleep a night.
