The target: 7–9 hours, same times, every day
Most young men need 7–9 hours. If you're a teenager (16–18), aim for the top of that — your body is literally still building. The two rules that matter most:
- Duration: 7–9 hours in bed asleep (so plan ~8–9 hours in bed to account for falling asleep).
- Consistency: same bedtime and wake time within ~30–60 minutes, including weekends. Your body runs on a clock. Wrecking it Friday and Saturday gives you "social jet lag" and you spend Monday-Wednesday recovering. Stop doing that.
The wind-down routine (start 60 minutes before bed)
You can't go from TikTok at 100mph to asleep. You need a runway. Here's a simple one:
| Time before bed | Do this |
|---|---|
| 60 min | Phone on charger across the room. Lights dim. Last food/big drink done. |
| 45 min | Shower or wash face, brush teeth, skincare (Module 8). |
| 30 min | Read, stretch, journal, or just sit. Nothing with a bright screen. |
| 0 min | Dark, cool, quiet room. Lie down. |
The four physical levers
1. Light. Light is the master signal.
- Morning: get bright light (ideally sunlight) within 30–60 min of waking — 5–10 minutes outside. This sets your clock so you're sleepy at the right time tonight.
- Night: dim everything 1–2 hours before bed. Bright screens and overhead lights tell your brain it's noon.
2. Caffeine. Caffeine has a long tail — half of it is still in you ~5–6 hours later.
- Cutoff: no caffeine after ~2 PM (earlier if you're sensitive).
- That 6 PM pre-workout is why you're staring at the ceiling at midnight.
3. Temperature. Your core temp has to drop to fall asleep.
- Keep the room cool — around 65-68 F (18-20 C).
- A warm shower before bed helps because you cool down afterward.
4. Darkness + quiet.
- Blackout the room or use a sleep mask.
- Earplugs or a fan/white noise if your environment is loud.
If you do only one thing from this lesson: fixed wake time + morning light + no caffeine after 2 PM. That trio fixes most young men's sleep on its own.
What about naps and weekends?
- Naps: fine, keep them 10–20 min and before ~3 PM so they don't steal night sleep.
- Weekends: sleeping in 1 extra hour is okay. Sleeping in 4 hours resets your clock and you pay for it all week.
A realistic example
Wake 7:00 AM every day — light outside by 7:30 — last caffeine 1:30 PM — screens off and wind-down at 10:00 PM — asleep by 11:00 — 8 hours. Do that for two weeks and you will not recognize your energy, your face, or your mood.