Do You Need a Sleep Reset?
Back-to-school season, post-vacation jet lag, daylight saving time, or just struggling to fall asleep and wake up — so many things can throw off your sleep. If you’re feeling “off” and wondering how to reset your sleep schedule, the answer isn’t just going to bed earlier.
The key is to work with your body’s natural rhythms, not against them.
How Sleep Works: Circadian Rhythm + Sleep Drive
Your body is built to sleep, but it relies on two key systems working together:
Circadian Rhythm (your internal clock): Regulates when you feel alert and when you feel sleepy. It runs on a 24-hour cycle, strengthened by consistency and light exposure.
Sleep Drive: Builds up sleepiness the longer you’re awake, much like hunger builds the longer you go without food.
When these two systems are in sync, falling asleep and waking up feel natural and effortless. When they’re off, you end up feeling groggy, wide awake at the wrong time, or jet-lagged.
Understanding Your Circadian Clock
Your Circadian Rhythm is your body’s built-in timekeeper. It influences everything from energy and digestion to mood and hormone levels—and it strongly dictates your sleep/wake cycle by sending out alerting signals across a 24-hour rhythm.
These signals are strongest in the morning, helping you feel awake and ready for the day.
They fade gradually across the evening, becoming weakest at bedtime so you can fall asleep.
When you stick to a consistent schedule — waking up and going to bed at the same times every day — your circadian clock runs smoothly. Your body knows when it’s supposed to be awake and when it’s time to rest. But when the clock is weak or out of sync, your sleep and energy take a hit.
Everyday Examples of Your Circadian Clock in Action
The weekday adjustment: Your alarm goes off at 6 am every weekday. On Monday, waking up feels awful — but by Friday, it’s a little easier. Then Saturday comes, and even though you could sleep in, you find yourself wide awake by 6:30. That’s your body’s circadian clock learning the rhythm and sending out those wake-up signals right on time.
Travel jet lag: Imagine you fly across three time zones. You wake up on your first morning there because your body thinks it’s 6 am, but locally the clock says 3 am. You toss and turn until your body’s usual “wake time.” After a few days, your clock gradually resets — just in time to fly back and do the whole process again. That mismatch between your body’s time and the local clock is jet lag.
Social jet lag: You don’t need a plane ticket to feel this mismatch. Say you sleep until 10 am on weekends instead of your usual 6am. Your body shifts toward the later schedule — then Monday morning, you’re jolted back to an early wake-up. It’s basically jet lag caused by your social schedule, not travel.
The back-to-school reset: If you’ve been sleeping until noon all summer, the 7 am wake-up on the first day of school will feel brutal. Your body thinks you’re in a time zone that’s five hours ahead, and now you’re forcing it to live on a totally different schedule. That’s social jet lag at its worst.
How to Reset Your Circadian Clock
If your sleep schedule feels off or misaligned with your schedule, here’s how to get it back in rhythm:
Pick a wake-up time and stick to it. Wake up at the earliest time you need during the week — every single day (yes, weekends too). This allows your body to find its rhythm and know when to help you wake up and fall asleep.
Shift gradually. Your body generally needs about one day to adjust for each hour of change. So, if you need to move your wake-up time by five hours, plan for at least five days. You can make the shift all at once. It may feel tough at first, but you’ll feel fully adjusted by the end of the period. For a gentler approach, try moving your alarm one hour earlier each day to make the transition smoother and make you less grumpy.
Maximize morning light. Sunlight is your body’s strongest “wake-up” signal. Get outside for at least 30 minutes in the morning or open the shades wide. If your alarm goes off before sunrise, artificial light can help too.
Limit nighttime light. Dim the lights an hour before bed and avoid bright screens. Blue light (from phones, tablets, laptops) tricks your brain into thinking it’s still daytime. Many devices have built-in blue light filters that can be helpful.
Sleep Drive: Why Bedtime Isn’t the First Step
So far, we’ve focused on wake time and how your circadian clock helps regulate it. But waking up is only half the story — what about falling asleep? That’s where sleep drive comes in.
Your body has many natural “drives,” like hunger or thirst, that push you to get what you need. Sleep drive is the system that pushes your body toward rest. It builds gradually throughout the day while you’re awake. The longer you’ve been awake, the stronger your sleep drive becomes — and the more pressure you feel to sleep.
Here’s what this looks like when sleep is going well:
In the morning, you wake up with low sleep drive and high alerting signals from your circadian clock.
As the day goes on, your sleep drive steadily increases while alerting signals fade.
By bedtime, sleep drive is strong, circadian signals are weak, and you naturally feel ready to fall asleep.
If you get into bed and don’t feel sleepy, it usually means your sleep drive isn’t strong enough yet. And going to bed before you’re sleepy is a recipe for tossing, turning, and frustration. To optimize sleep drive, it’s best to stay awake and out of bed until your body is truly ready for sleep.
Sleep Drive in Real Life
The back-to-school shift: Forcing a 10 pm bedtime on a teen who’s been waking at noon all summer won’t work—they won’t be sleepy. Start by waking them earlier, and bedtime will naturally shift earlier, too.
Why naps can backfire: Napping might feel like a quick fix when you’re tired, but it actually reduces the sleep drive you’ve built up during the day. After a nap, your body’s sleep pressure is partially reset, leaving less time to naturally build it back before bedtime. Staying awake through daytime sleepiness helps strengthen your sleep drive, making it easier to fall asleep at night and stay asleep longer.
Putting It All Together: Reset Your Sleep Schedule
Your circadian clock tells your body when it should be alert or sleepy, and sleep drive provides the pressure that makes you actually fall asleep. When these two systems are in sync, falling asleep and waking up feels natural — almost effortless.
Morning & Evening Routines to Reset Your Sleep:
Wake up earlier first. As you shift your mornings, your body will naturally feel sleepy earlier at night.
Wake up at the same time every day. Consistency strengthens your circadian rhythm.
Get morning light: Sunlight (or bright artificial light) first thing in the morning signals your body that it’s time to be alert.
Skip the naps. Daytime sleep reduces your sleep drive, making it harder to fall asleep later.
Go to bed when truly sleepy. Don’t force bedtime — let your body’s natural rhythm guide you.
Extra Tips for Better Sleep
Dim the lights at night. Create a calm, relaxing environment as bedtime approaches.
Limit screens or use blue-light filters. Screens trick your brain into thinking it’s still daytime.
Consider melatonin (with your doctor’s guidance). This hormone can help regulate circadian rhythm if your schedule is very off-track.
Following these steps not only helps you recover from social or travel jet lag but also improves sleep quality, daytime energy, and overall well-being.
Ready for Better Sleep?
Restorative sleep is one of the most powerful forms of self-care. If your schedule feels off, I can help you reset your sleep and restore your energy. Schedule a free consultation today, and let’s find the strategies that work for you.
