How to set up sleep schedules in iOS

With iOS 14, Apple introduced the ability to set your sleep schedules in the Health app. The feature itself isn’t too complicated. You figure out how many hours you ideally want to get every night, then set a scheduled bedtime and wake time that suits that goal.

Of course, you could always just set up a one-time or repeating alarm within the Clock app. The main reason why you’d opt for a sleep schedule instead is that it allows you to set a specific goal and more easily automate a sleep routine. For example, you can automatically launch the Sleep Focus mode at your scheduled bedtime and set up sleep reminders. If you use an Apple Watch or another sleep tracker / sleep app, you can also get notified whenever you meet or exceed your sleep goal.

You’re not limited to just one sleep schedule, either. This can be a handy tool if your job, class, or morning fitness schedule differs from day to day. But before you can set up multiple schedules, you need to set up your first one. To do that:

Drag the Bed and Alarm icons on the slider to set your schedule. Image: Apple

Once you’ve set up your initial schedule, you can then add as many sleep schedules as you need. To create additional sleep schedules:

There are also multiple customization options within the Health app’s Sleep settings. For example, you can set a Wind Down window by going to Health > Sleep > Full Schedule & Options > Additional Details > Wind Down. Your Wind Down window can be set anywhere from 15 minutes to three hours before your scheduled bedtime. At that point, it’ll automatically trigger your phone’s Sleep Focus. (You can also turn off this setting by going to Health > Sleep > Full Schedule > Use Schedule for Sleep Focus.)

The Sleep Focus mode is one of the preset Focus modes that Apple introduced in iOS 15. You can access it by going to Settings > Focus on your iPhone. If you enable Sleep Focus, you can edit which people and apps are able to contact you as well as edit your homescreen and lock screen. When iOS 16 arrives this fall, you’ll be able to also link a specific Lock Screen or Home Screen page. (If you’re impatient, here’s how you can download the iOS 16 public beta.)

Within the Full Schedule & Options settings, you can also adjust your Sleep Goal as well as tweak other settings. In the Additional Details section, you can choose to enable Track Time in Bed with iPhone, Sleep Reminders, or Sleep Results.

You can edit sleep schedules from the Clock app, too. Screenshot: Victoria Song / The Verge

If your schedule changes or the one you initially set up doesn’t work for you, there are several ways to edit your sleep schedule. Here are a few ways to do it:

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