SleepCycleCalcBest Wake Up Times: The Bedtime Chart
Sometimes you do not need a calculator — you need the chart. Find your wake-up time, and read across for the bedtime that gives you exactly six full sleep cycles (9 hours) or five (7½ hours), assuming the standard 15 minutes to fall asleep.
| Wake up at | Bedtime for 6 cycles (9h) | Bedtime for 5 cycles (7½h) |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00 AM | 7:45 PM | 9:15 PM |
| 5:30 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:45 PM |
| 6:00 AM | 8:45 PM | 10:15 PM |
| 6:30 AM | 9:15 PM | 10:45 PM |
| 7:00 AM | 9:45 PM | 11:15 PM |
| 7:30 AM | 10:15 PM | 11:45 PM |
| 8:00 AM | 10:45 PM | 12:15 AM |
| 8:30 AM | 11:15 PM | 12:45 AM |
| 9:00 AM | 11:45 PM | 1:15 AM |
Need a different wake time, or a different fall-asleep buffer? The full sleep cycle calculator handles any combination — including counting forward from a bedtime, or from right now.
Reading the chart honestly
Two things stand out for most people. First, how early the 6-cycle bedtimes are: a 6:00 AM start with a full 9 hours means lights-out territory around 8:45 PM, which is why most working adults realistically live on the 5-cycle column during the week. Second, how small the difference is between feeling fine and feeling wrecked — the columns are 90 minutes apart, and drifting halfway between them (say, bed at 10:30 PM for a 6:30 AM alarm) is the classic mid-cycle trap.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best wake up times?
The best wake time is the one that ends a full sleep cycle and fits your life: for most adults, a wake time that allows 5–6 cycles from a realistic bedtime. The table on this page shows, for each common wake time, the bedtimes that give exactly 5 or 6 cycles with a standard 15-minute fall-asleep buffer.