Sleep Calculator › Guides › What time to go to bed to wake up at 6:00 AM
Bedtimes for a 6:00 AM alarm based on 90-minute sleep cycles plus 17 minutes to fall asleep, checked against CDC sleep guidelines.
| Sleep cycles | Sleep time | Get into bed by |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 9 h 00 min | 20:43 (8:43 PM) |
| 5 | 7 h 30 min | 22:13 (10:13 PM) |
| 4 | 6 h 00 min | 23:43 (11:43 PM) |
Each bedtime counts back whole 90-minute cycles from 6:00 AM, then subtracts 17 minutes for falling asleep. These are the same numbers the calculator on our home page gives.
The CDC recommends 7 or more hours a night for adults aged 18–60 and 8–10 hours for teens aged 13–17. Five cycles (7 h 30 min) or six cycles (9 h) meet the adult guideline. Four cycles (6 h) fall short of it, so keep that row for the odd short night only.
Ninety minutes is an average. Real cycles vary from person to person and through the night, so use these times as a starting point. Keep the same wake time for a week and adjust bedtime by 15 minutes if you still wake up groggy.
For 7.5 hours of sleep (five cycles), get into bed around 10:13 PM. For nine hours (six cycles), aim for about 8:43 PM.
For most adults, no. The CDC and the AASM consensus both recommend 7 or more hours a night for adults.
Last checked: 29 October 2026.