Doctor shares game-changing math formula to find ‘ideal bedtime’

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Eight hours of sleep a night has been the dream duration suggested by health professionals.

But one doctor shared on social media that it’s more about an individual’s “ideal bedtime” than it is about how many hours of zzz’s a person gets in.

Dr. Charles Puza, a New York City dermatologist and biohacker, according to his Instagram account, insisted that it’s more about the wakeup time during a person’s sleep cycle than the amount of sleep they get.

“Does your nap feel more restful than a full night’s sleep? Ever wake up from 8+ hours of sleep and still feel groggy?,” Puza asked in the first of a series of “Getting Better Sleep” videos.

“It’s because you’re going to bed and waking up at the wrong time,” the former insomniac explained.

“You should be timing your sleep to align with natural sleep cycles of around 90 minutes.”

He instructs followers to “factor in about 15 minutes to fall asleep and simply subtract seven hours and 45 minutes or nine hours and 15 minutes from your wakeup time to find your ideal bedtime.”

Puza expands further in the video with his life-changing yet simple mathematical equation.

“Waking up groggy and exhausted despite getting a full night sleep? It’s because you’re going to bed at the wrong time,” he says.

“So each sleep cycle is about 90 minutes,” he details. “You need to decide if you want five cycles or six cycles of sleep overnight.”

Once you factor in about 15 minutes to fall asleep, that’s where the math comes in.

“If you want five cycles, that’s seven hours and 45 minutes, and six cycles is nine hours and 15 minutes,” Puza explained.

For example, if you have to be up for work at 7 a.m., simply subtract whether that’s a five-cycle or six-cycle night to find your ideal bedtime of either 9:45 p.m. or 11:15 p.m. — which includes the 15-minute drift-off time.

In another video, Puza tackled how one falls asleep in 15 minutes — especially when your brain is still going a mile a minute.

“Using stimulus control therapy, you can train yourself to fall asleep in 15 minutes or less,” he wrote.

He recommended getting out of bed if you are tossing and turning and can’t fall asleep in 15 minutes — “otherwise you start to associate your bed with anxiety, frustration, listlessness.”

Puza also suggested getting out of bed as soon as the alarm goes off, and if you want to snooze longer, move to the couch.

“You want your brain to associate your bed with sleep only, not anxiety or frustration about falling asleep, or grogginess and annoyance at having to wake up.”

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Puza also discusses in other videos how to stay asleep and calm your mind.

The dermatologist, who admits he’s “obsessed with anti-aging wellness,” makes sleep a top priority because of all the ways it impacts overall health.

“I’m obsessed with getting the best sleep possible — essential for anti-aging, muscle recovery, memory and brain health, and so much more!”

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