Also, does it matter if you go to sleep at 4:00 A.M. every night and wake up 8 to 9 hours later?
And how is it different if you go to sleep at 10:00 P.M. every night and wake up 8 to 9 hours later?
In: Biology
Yes. The main points are consistency, sunlight, and natural individual differences.
Your circadian rhythm, aka your biological clock, tells your body when to start winding down for sleep or warm up for wakefulness. With an inconsistent bedtime, the circadian rhythm keeps getting messed up, leading to your body being unable to prepare for sleep. Having an inconsistent sleep schedule is essentially permanent jetlag.
Light, especially sunlight, also affects your circadian rhythm. Humans as a species are naturally awake during the day. So the sun is a cue that tells your circadian rhythm to keep you awake. So keeping the bedroom dark is obviously very helpful. But if you’re a night shift worker, just exposure to sun while going home can affect your sleep. [Night shift is known to be a health risk, because of the disruption to the circadian rhythm.](https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/shift-work-can-harm-sleep-and-health-what-helps-202302282896)
Everyone’s circadian rhythm’s aren’t exactly the same. Some will naturally tell them to sleep early. Some will naturally tell them to sleep late. Aka people are naturally a morning person or a night owl. Unfortunately, society is built around the morning person schedule, [and being a night owl also has health risks.](https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/16/health/night-owl-early-death-wellness/index.html)
(Extra fun fact, teens tend to naturally have a later rhythm than adults. Which is why they tend to stay up late and like sleeping in.)
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