The "80/20 Rule" Should Help You Get Better Sleep

Good sleep is one of those non-negotiables in life. It’s why you might panic on the nights when you struggle to fall asleep, or why you feel a sense of dread creeping in when you wake up at 3 a.m. This is where the “80/20 rule” comes in: It’s the idea that you should try to get good sleep 80 percent of the time, and then allow yourself a little wiggle room for the other 20 percent.

That means most nights you’ll go to bed on time, practice good sleep hygiene, and aim for a solid eight hours of rest. For the other 20 percent, you get to mess up a little. Think staying out late on a Saturday night, or pulling an all-nighter when you need to finish a project.

Knowing that you typically make a solid effort most nights should quell the occasional anxiety about being up past your usual bedtime, and it might even help you doze off. Here, an expert explains how to use the 80/20 rule to hack your sleep schedule.

Why The 80/20 Sleep Rule Works

According to Dr. Chris Winter, MD, a neurologist and sleep specialist at Natrol, the 80/20 rule isn’t an established or studied sleep guideline, but more of a concept that illustrates a healthier point of view for when it comes to getting good rest.

“There is something positive and relaxing about the message that is an important counterpoint in this time of ‘sleepmaxxing’ where every night has to be perfect so we don't upset our sleep tracker and get a frowny face or score below 95%,” he says.

Instead of feeling as if every evening has to be perfect or else, it frees you to have a few nights here and there that are a little wonky or less-than-ideal. According to Winter, the best sleep tip — and this goes for almost everything wellness-related — is to stop striving for perfection.

If you tend to worry about maintaining healthy habits, keeping the 80/20 ratio in mind may help ease your stress. “There’s no need to freak out when sleep goes a little sideways,” he says. “Things happen. This is the attitude we should adopt for our sleep.”

What Should That 80% Look Like?

In order to get good sleep the majority of the time, you should mostly stick to a routine. “It’s all about consistency,” Winter says. “Healthy sleep follows a regular, protected period for sleep, for instance, 11 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.”

A set bedtime helps set your circadian rhythm, which signals to your body when it’s time to get tired. It’s also smart to avoid caffeine, work, and tons of screen time before bed. Make sure your room is cool and dark.

If you can’t sleep like a baby every single night, then “you want to extract as much positive sleep and recovery as you can from your 80 percent,” he says. “This is similar to what I tell shift workers: your situation is not conducive to optimized sleep and recovery, so we need to make the most of an intrinsically problematic situation.”

What Can The 20% Look Like?

According to Winter, the 20 percent might account for traveling, coming home late from work, or simply having a night here and there where it’s tough to snooze. “The idea isn’t to plan for imperfect sleep, but to recognize that nobody has perfect sleep,” he says. “Life happens, and that’s OK.”

While Winter doesn’t recommend it, the 20 percent could also include staying up to read, scroll, finish a TV show, go out with friends, or work. It isn’t ideal, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

“Basically, control what you can control,” he says. And for the moments you can’t, trust that you’ll get a good night’s sleep soon.

Source:

Dr. Chris Winter, MD, neurologist, sleep specialist at Natrol