In what may be the most unrelatable (but definitely smart) action ever, sleep doctors don’t lie in bed, scrolling on their phones for 15 minutes before dragging themselves out of bed. “I try not to linger in bed because I definitely feel like that causes me to feel more lazy or groggy,” Wu said.
Chelsie Rohrscheib, a neuroscientist and sleep expert, also doesn’t do this. “I never stay in bed and do activities that aren’t related to sleep and intimacy. This means when I wake up, I get out of bed immediately and go somewhere else in my house,” she said. “This helps to maintain my brain’s association that the bedroom is only a place of rest, which promotes high-quality sleep.”
“I never remain in my dark bedroom,” added Dr. Chris Winter, a neurologist and sleep health expert. “It is essential to get into the light. Light effectively shuts off your brain’s production of melatonin and lets your body know the day has begun.”
While not lying in bed was the most popular tip among the sleep experts we consulted, Carleara Weiss, a sleep specialist and research assistant professor at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, gave a slightly different answer: For her, in addition to getting up as soon as she wakes up, she makes sure not to sleep in.
“The reasoning for that relates to the circadian rhythms,” Weiss said. “Regular wake-up times help the biological clock regulate physiological functions, not just sleep. Sleeping in on the weekends leads to social jet lag and causes difficulty concentrating, fatigue, irritability, and headaches.”
Dr. Raj Dasgupta ― a physician who is a quadruple board-certified physician in internal medicine, pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine ― is also wary of sleeping in.
“While occasionally sleeping in is unlikely to have a lasting impact on your overall sleep quality, it may affect your ability to fall asleep later in the evening,” he said. “Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, where you wake up and go to bed at the same time every day, is really important for ensuring you have a good night of quality sleep.”
