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In a UK Biobank study of 60,977 adults, sleep consistency predicted mortality risk better than sleep duration.

Irregular sleep timing desynchronizes blood pressure, hormone, and immune rhythms.

A consistent sleep schedule, supported by small practical changes, can help reset your body clock.

As the relaxing months of summer wind down, do you ever feel a panic when someone asks, “Are you ready for September”? If so, you're not alone. The summer months are glorious. They afford us time with family and friends and allow us to loosen the grip on our otherwise often overstructured days. But as August drifts into September, the need to re-enter a regular routine is ever present. I've experienced this in my own life. As a mother of two young children, I relish the summer months. Our mornings are unhurried, and we aren’t rushing after school to a hundred different activities. But I know what it means when September hits. As a sleep physician and a mom, I’m often caught off guard by the need to return to more organized days and nights.

Getting back into a sleep routine is important, and not just in September. New research shows that how consistent our sleep schedule is may matter more than the total number of hours we sleep each night.

I can recall in my own practice over the years encouraging patients to focus on hitting certain sleep targets. These targets included sleeping between seven and nine hours every night.........

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