How to Reduce Sleep Time

If you have a tight schedule, you may want to spend less time sleeping. While long-term sleep loss is not healthy, if you want to sleep less in the short term, there are a few ways that you can do it. Take time to prepare to get your mind and body ready, reduce your sleep time gradually, and return to a regular schedule if you notice any effects on your health or well-being.

Table of Contents

Prepare yourself mentally and physically

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Do exercise. If you want to sleep less and still be healthy enough for daily activities, you will have to exercise to have a healthy body. Exercising three or four times a week builds strength and flexibility, helping you sleep less.

You can do aerobic exercises like running or walking or light weight exercises like weightlifting, push-ups, sit-ups, or Pilates. ^{[1] X Research Source}
Exercise in the afternoon is best, it will help you sleep better at night. If your sleep quality is better, you will need less sleep. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Do not use certain substances. Alcohol, nicotine and caffeine will ruin your sleep. If you want to sleep less and still stay healthy, there are a few things you need to do to make sure you get a good night’s sleep.

Alcohol can make you fall asleep faster. Even so, even if you fall asleep, you won’t sleep well. And even though you are asleep, you still want to sleep again. Don’t drink alcohol, drink only on special occasions and drink in moderation. ^{[3] X Research Sources}
Caffeine can stay in your body for up to six hours after you drink it. Drinking caffeine at night can keep you from sleeping. It is best to drink coffee in the morning and not drink too much. You should only drink 1-2 cups of coffee (240 ml cups) a day. ^{[4] X Research Sources}
Nicotine is a stimulant, in addition to causing many health problems. Smoking during the day can disrupt your nighttime sleep. Not to mention that smoking weakens the body and immune system, smoking also makes you need to sleep more to reduce fatigue. If you want to sleep less and still be healthy, quit smoking. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Create a bedtime routine. Improve your bedtime routine before trying to sleep less. Track to see you fall asleep faster and feel refreshed when you wake up.

Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Your body has a natural circadian rhythm that helps regulate your sleep/wake cycle. If you regularly go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, you will find it easier to fall asleep and refreshed when you wake up the next morning. ^{[6] X Research Sources}
Avoid looking at electronic screens a few hours before bedtime. Blue light from smartphones and laptops has a stimulating effect on the body that will make it difficult to sleep. ^{[7] X Research Sources}
Create some bedtime routines. If your body connects an activity to sleep, it’s easier to fall asleep when you do it. Choose something relaxing, like reading a book or doing a crossword puzzle. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Prepare the right bedroom. Remember that if you want to sleep less, you need to get as much sleep as possible. To do that, your bedroom needs to be designed for sleeping.

Prepare cushions and pillows. Mattresses and pillows need to be suitable, supportive for sleeping, and not painful. Pillows and bedding need to be free of allergens that can make you red and unable to sleep. ^{[9] X Research Source}
Keep the bedroom cool. The ideal temperature when you sleep is between 16°C and 19°C. ^{[10] X Research Source}
If you live in a noisy area or building, you might consider investing in a white noise machine to reduce outside sounds. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Reduce sleep time gradually

Gradually reduce sleep time. If you try to drastically reduce your nighttime sleep from 9 hours to 6 hours, the results may be the opposite of your expectations. Gradually reduce the amount of time you sleep by going to bed later or waking up earlier.

During the first week, go to bed 20 minutes later or wake up 20 minutes earlier than usual. During the second week, go to bed later or wake up 20 minutes earlier. During the third week, go to bed later or wake up an hour earlier. ^{[12] X Research Source}
Continue to reduce sleep time by 20 minutes per week. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Please be patient. You may feel tired for the first few weeks. It’s time to help your body adjust to sleep less. If you feel tired, change your diet by eating more nutritious foods that provide more energy for the body and exercise more to sleep better. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Set a goal of 6 hours of sleep every night. You should aim to get 6 hours of sleep every night. With such sleep time, you can be healthy enough for daytime activities if the quality of sleep is maintained. Less than six hours of sleep can lead to serious health risks. ^{[15] X Research Source}

Anticipate the dangers

Do not sleep less than five and a half hours each night. Get at least five and a half hours of sleep every night. Sleep studies examining the effects of sleep deprivation on the brain have shown that people who sleep less than five and a half hours a day feel extremely tired and unfit for daily activities. ^{[16] X Research Source}

Observe for adverse health effects. Insomnia can be very dangerous. If you experience any of the following problems, you should return to your normal sleep schedule: ^{[17] X Research Source}

Constantly feeling hungry
Weight change
Short-term memory loss
Behave impulsively
Decreased motor skills
Changes in the skin
Unclear

You need to understand that it is difficult to maintain low sleep for a long time. You can reduce the time you sleep for a short time, it is not recommended to sleep less than 8 hours a night for a long time. If you sleep less for a long time, you will not be healthy, and then you will need more sleep.

How long it takes to sleep will vary from person to person depending on lifestyle. Even so, most people need at least 8 hours of sleep every night. Regularly sleeping less than 8 hours will make you less focused. ^{[18] X Research Sources}
If you consistently sleep 6 hours a night, you will fall into a state of “sleep debt”. Your body needs more sleep than you actually sleep. Eventually your desire to sleep less will go bankrupt. If you’re trying to sleep less, keep in mind that you should only do it for a few weeks before going back to your eight-hour nightly sleep schedule. ^{[19] X Research Source}

Warning

Don’t try to drive if you sleep less. Falling asleep while driving can lead to a foretold fatal accident.

Steps

Prepare yourself mentally and physically

Reduce sleep time gradually

Anticipate the dangers

Warning

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