How to change your sleep schedule on an Apple Watch

As an Apple Watch owner, you probably strap on the watch and take it with you everywhere—to work or school, to the gym, on long walks, and even to bed. Even though the word “Watch” appears in the name, the name is a bit misleading because the Apple Watch can do so much more than just measure time. It is more of a comprehensive health and lifestyle device. Whether you’ve recently upgraded to the Apple Watch Series 10 or are using a different model, you can use this smartwatch to easily do things like track your heart rate, set reminders with Siri, read texts, and maybe even sleep better.

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If you’re someone who tosses and turns while counting sheep and has trouble falling asleep at night, your Apple Watch’s sleep tracking feature may be your most important feature. When paired with Night Shift on your iPhone, your Apple Watch’s sleep schedule can help remind you when it’s time to sleep. While it won’t cure insomnia, planning your sleep can help you establish a consistent routine that can help you get enough sleep at night. You can add a sleep routine to your Apple Watch in just a few steps, and if you decide to change it later, you can do that too.

If you’ve never used the Sleep app on your Apple Watch, you’ll need to set it up to track your sleep habits before you can add a sleep schedule. When you first open the Sleep app, you’ll be told that your Apple Watch can track your sleep duration, sleep stages, breathing rate, and heart rate. If you agree with all of the above, tap Next. On the next screen you can set your sleep goal; Eight hours is the default, and change your bedtime from the default 10:30 a.m. to the time that works best for you. Below that you will see “Add Schedule” which allows you to set your sleep schedule. If you already track your sleep on your Apple Watch but don’t have a sleep schedule set up, the steps to set it up are different.

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Follow these steps to add a sleep schedule to your Apple Watch

1. Open the Sleep app.
2. Tap the alarm clock icon in the left corner of the screen.
3. Scroll down and tap Add Schedule.
4. Tap “Select Days” and select the days you want to follow a sleep schedule.
5. Tap Wake Up to set a wake-up time in the morning.
6. Turn on the alarm button if you want to set an alarm.
7. Tap Bedtime to set the time you want to go to sleep.

Once you complete all of these steps, your sleep schedule will be set. Depending on the options you select, your Apple Watch will dim your screen and send you reminders just before bed to help you relax and get ready for bed.

You have a lot of flexibility to add and change sleep schedules to your liking on your Apple Watch. For example, if you want to have a different sleep schedule with different bedtimes and wake-up times on weekends than weekdays, you can do that. You can even create a customized sleep schedule for each day of the week if that works best for you. Nothing is set in stone. If your current settings aren’t working for you, you can easily change them.

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Follow these steps to change your current sleep schedule:

1. Open the Sleep app.
2. Tap the alarm clock icon in the left corner of the screen.
3. Scroll down to Full Schedule.
4. Tap the schedule you’re currently following.
5. Select the days you want to follow the schedule.
6. Tap Bedtime or Wake Up to change these times.

While on this screen, you can also adjust your sleep goal and relaxation time. If you ever decide to delete a sleep schedule, you can do so by tapping on your schedule and selecting Delete Schedule at the bottom of the next screen.