Innovative and fascinating feature in the iPhone's Clock app, "Bedtime Mode", is the iPhone's "Bedtime Mode".
The idea that you should be consistent in how much sleep you get (i.e. iPhone's Bedtime mode makes it easier to reach your goal of getting to bed and waking up the same time each day.
To access and use iPhone's Bedtime Mode, you will need an iPhone running iOS 13 or later. You can still track your sleep with your iPhone running iOS 14 or higher, but not in Bedtime mode. You can track your sleep with an Apple Watch or the Apple Sleep feature (located within the Health app). Or, you can download one of the many sleep apps available from the app store. We recommend trying different apps until you find the right one for you.
You can use Bedtime mode if your iPhone has iOS 13 or later. This article will cover everything you need to know to use iPhone's Bedtime Mode. From getting started to analyze your sleep results and turning off the feature, to how to disable it and much more.
How much sleep do we need?
It can be difficult to know how much sleep your body requires if you have never considered it.
Although everyone is unique, there are general guidelines based on age that can help you figure out a figure. A panel of experts reviewed 320 studies to compile the guidelines. They were published in Sleep Health: Journal of the National Sleep Foundation.
Teenagers (ages 14-17 years): 8-10 hours
Young adults (18-25 years old): 7-9 hours
Adults (ages 26-64): 7-9 hours
Older adults (65+): 7-8 Hours
These guidelines are important as long-term sleep debt has been linked with obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. This is why iPhone's bedtime mode is so useful.
How to use iPhone's bedtime mode
It's time to go to bed! Credit to Apple
It is very easy to set up your iPhone's bedtime mode. Tap the Clock app on the iPhone, then tap "Bedtime", at the bottom. Once you press the "Get Started", your iPhone will guide and direct you through each step. (Note: This order may differ depending on the iOS version you have.
You can set your bedtime. Credit to apple
To start, you will need to use Bedtime mode. Next, click Next.
You can choose one, many, or all of the days in the week to be bedtime. Credit to apple
Then, you will be asked which days of your week you would like to wake up at the selected time. iPhone's Bedtime mode encourages consistent wake-up times, even on weekends.
You can do it for eight hours. You can do it. Credit to apple
The next step is to choose how many hours of sleep you require each night. The iPhone's Bedtime Mode suggests that adults get seven to eight hours sleep, but you can choose what amount.
Reminder time! Credit to apple
You will be asked to create a bedtime reminder, an alarm that sounds right before you go to sleep or gives you a few minutes notice.
Choose a sound that soothes. Credit to apple
The iPhone's Bedtime Mode will ask you to choose the sound that your iPhone will play to wake up. The options available are far more pleasant than alarm clocks of old, and include gentle piano to birdsong.
After you have completed the Bedtime mode setup, you will see this screen.
Baby, it's bedtime! Credit to apple
You'll now see your sleep time in a graph whenever you open the Bedtime screen of your alarm clock app. You can turn the Bedtime mode off on your iPhone by tapping the green sliding icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
Using iPhone's Bedtime mode, you can view your sleep stats
By going to the alarm clock app, you can see your most recent sleep stats.
Here are your sleep stats. Credit to Apple
You can see your Bedtime analysis at a glance by checking if your "Sleep History" bars are aligned. Tap the "Show More in Health" option at the bottom to see more detailed data.
The Health app will open on your iPhone. This is where you can store your Sleep History and Analysis from Bedtime.
Check out these Zzzs to see if you really are catching Zzzs. Credit to apple
You can view your Bedtime data in graph format from the Health app. Clicking on the graph will display your Bedtime data as a list.
Take a look at this list! Credit to apple
Modifying your iPhone's bedtime mode
You can adjust the iPhone's bedtime mode settings by simply going into your alarm clock app's screen and tapping "Options".
You're about to see some options. Credit to apple
You can also change the days of week you wish to have Bedtime enabled, the time you need to remind yourself of Bedtime, the sound you wake up to, and the volume you set your alarm.
Happy snoozing, Bedtime users.
This story was first published in November 2020. It was updated in August 2021.
