Own Your Nights: Understanding Bedtime Consistency and Its Impact

In the fast-paced, unpredictable world of healthcare, suggesting someone “just get more sleep” often feels tone-deaf—especially to those navigating 12-hour shifts or back-to-back calls. Mention it to a nurse or physician, and you’re likely to receive a knowing smile or a skeptical shake of the head. At Arena Labs, we’ve learned this firsthand in our work to bring high-performance medicine to life. That’s why we focus on actionable strategies rather than lofty advice, with bedtime consistency standing out as one of the most effective—and realistic—ways to support health and recovery in this demanding field.

Sleep duration, while important, is often unattainable for many healthcare professionals. Instead, focusing on bedtime regularity allows you to align your circadian rhythm—a biological clock that regulates your sleep-wake cycle (1). When your bedtime is consistent, your body learns to expect rest, improving the time it takes to fall asleep and quality of sleep (2).

In essence, to achieve good sleep, your body relies on predictable cues like consistent sleep and wake times. By prioritizing bedtime regularity, you’re setting the foundation for better rest and long-term resilience.

Why Bedtime Consistency?

Bedtime consistency measures how regular your bedtime is across the week, scored on a scale of 0-100. A score of 100 reflects almost no variation in bedtime, and it’s this steadiness that can deliver significant benefits for mental health (2, 3) and workplace resilience (4).

At Arena Labs, we’ve elevated the concept of bedtime consistency with a custom-built algorithm tailored specifically for the unique demands of healthcare. By analyzing bedtime patterns over the past 7 days, our algorithm offers a more focused and dynamic approach, akin to the Sleep Regularity Index but designed for real-time application in healthcare (5). This shorter evaluation window provides actionable insights, empowering healthcare professionals to make timely adjustments and enhance their routines, even within the constraints of demanding schedules.

For healthcare professionals, regular wake times are often dictated by work schedules. Bedtimes, however, are more challenging. Personal routines, winding down after emotionally charged days, and life outside of work can create variability. Yet, this is the one area you can control. With the right strategies, you can establish a consistent bedtime, empowering yourself to feel more rested and resilient.

The Science of Consistency

Research highlights the profound benefits of maintaining consistent sleep schedules. A comprehensive consensus statement from the National Sleep Foundation, based on 63 studies, emphasizes that the regularity of sleep onset and offset is critical for overall health, safety, and performance (2). Here’s why sleep consistency matters:

  1. Circadian Alignment
    1. Regular sleep timing keeps your body’s internal clock in sync, enhancing sleep efficiency and promoting easier sleep onset.
  2. Reduced Risk of Chronic Diseases
    1. Irregular sleep patterns are strongly associated with increased risks of cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, and mental health challenges like depression and anxiety.
  3. Improved Cognitive Performance
    1. Consistent sleep timing enhances focus, decision-making, and emotional regulation—all essential for high-pressure environments like healthcare.

Even small deviations in sleep schedules—such as a one-hour inconsistency—can disrupt circadian rhythms, leading to noticeable increases in health risks. By prioritizing regular sleep patterns, you’re not just improving rest but also optimizing your body’s natural rhythms for long-term well-being and peak performance.

 

Navigating Shift Work

For shift workers, achieving bedtime consistency can feel daunting. The unpredictable demands of healthcare, compounded by 12-hour shifts and rotating schedules, often disrupt circadian rhythms. Yet, these challenges make it even more essential to focus on what you can control. Building regularity in your sleep habits helps regulate your circadian rhythm, improving the quality of your rest and enhancing your ability to recover from the demands of your work. Bedtime consistency can serve as a powerful accountability tool, helping you establish healthier routines and make the most of the rest you do get.

This metric empowers your coach to provide advice tailored to your reality. Whether it’s winding down after a late shift, juggling family obligations like getting the kids to school after a night shift, or navigating an hour-long commute as a nurse transitioning between work and home, life doesn’t stop for shift work. Arena Strive leverages insights from other service members who’ve faced similar challenges, adapting proven strategies to fit seamlessly into your daily life. These approaches aren’t one-size-fits-all—they’re designed to align with the unique reality of your responsibilities.

Learn more about Arena Strive Coaching

The Path to Better Sleep

In healthcare, you dedicate yourself to caring for others. Prioritizing bedtime consistency is a way to care for yourself. While total sleep duration may seem unattainable, regularity is within your control—and it’s the key to unlocking long-term benefits for your health and resilience.

With Arena Strive, you’re not navigating this journey alone. We’re here to guide you, providing the tools and support you need to thrive in the demanding healthcare environment. By focusing on bedtime consistency, you’ll set the stage for better sleep and a stronger foundation for success—one night at a time.

If you’re interested in bringing Arena Strive to your hospital, reach out to us at hello@arenalabs.co.

References:

  1. https://www.nigms.nih.gov/education/fact-sheets/Pages/circadian-rhythms.aspx 
  2. Sletten TL, Weaver MD, Foster RG, Gozal D, Klerman EB, Rajaratnam SMW, Roenneberg T, Takahashi JS, Turek FW, Vitiello MV, Young MW, Czeisler CA. The importance of sleep regularity: a consensus statement of the National Sleep Foundation sleep timing and variability panel. Sleep Health. 2023 Dec;9(6):801-820. doi: 10.1016/j.sleh.2023.07.016. Epub 2023 Sep 7. PMID: 37684151.
  3. Bei B, Seeman TE, Carroll JE, Wiley JF. Sleep and Physiological Dysregulation: A Closer Look at Sleep Intraindividual Variability. Sleep. 2017 Sep 1;40(9):zsx109. doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsx109. PMID: 28651371; PMCID: PMC5806573. 
  4. Holmes KE, Fox N, King J, Presby DM, Kim J. Connection Between Sleep and Psychological Well-Being in U.S. Army Soldiers. Mil Med. 2024 Jan 23;189(1-2):e40-e48. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usad187. PMID: 37265329; PMCID: PMC10824482. 
  5. Fischer D, Klerman EB, Phillips AJK. Measuring sleep regularity: theoretical properties and practical usage of existing metrics. Sleep. 2021 Oct 11;44(10):zsab103. doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsab103. PMID: 33864369; PMCID: PMC8503839.
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