how do i go to sleep earlier

To adjust your bedtime to an earlier time, Matthew Walker provides several pieces of advice:

1. Maintain regular sleep times: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends or after a bad night's sleep, to help regulate your sleep-wake schedule 1.

2. Don't compensate for bad sleep by changing your schedule: Avoid sleeping in, napping, or going to bed earlier after a poor night's sleep. This can interfere with building up healthy sleepiness for the next night 2.

3. Develop a wind-down routine: To ease the transition to sleep, have a consistent pre-bed ritual. Sleep is more like landing a plane, and a routine can help signal your body that it's time to wind down 2.

In addition to these points, it's important to understand the general structure of your sleep cycle. If you typically go to bed at a certain hour and want to change that schedule, keep in mind that it might affect the amount of REM sleep you get. Balancing sleep stages is important, so aim to create a sleep schedule that allows for adequate amounts of all sleep stages 3.

Remember to make changes gradually and consistently to shift your internal clock. Keep in mind that your genetics influence your chronotype (whether you're a morning person or night owl), so listen to your body when adjusting your sleep patterns 1.