Sleep expert reveals exact bedtime that will help us all wake up feeling fresh

Waking up feeling well-rested can be so hit and miss for many of us.

Even if you're getting enough hours of sleep sometimes we still feel exhausted and have no idea why.

Millions of people have tried different hacks such as having a bath before bed or a hot drink, or switching off your screen time 30 minutes before bed.

But a sleeping expert has revealed there is one simple reason many are spending their entire day yawning and feeling tired despite sleeping enough hours.

Expert Addison Jarman has shared the simple science behind our sleeping patterns.

Taking to social media, she explained we sleep in 90-minute cycles and if you wake up at the wrong point of the cycle then you're going to find yourself more tired.

Even if you have a full night's sleep, waking up at the wrong time will leave you drowsy.

Our sleep cycle made up of 65 minutes of normal, non-REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, 20 minutes of REM sleep and a final 5 minutes of non-REM sleep.

This means that if you were to wake up without any disturbances or alarms, it's unlikely you'd wake up after eight hours.

But if you were to get nine or seven-and-a-half hours sleep you'd more likely not be tired as it fits into the 90-minute cycles.

Jarman says if you want you work out when you should go to sleep then count backwards in 90-minute intervals from the time you need to wake up.

Counting backwards in 90-minute intervals will ensure you complete your sleep cycle.

Jarman says it's not about how many hours sleep you get but about when you wake up, meaning you can sleep less and feel more refreshed.

Viewers couldn't believe how simple the advice was: "Is that why when I get six hours I feel more rested than eight?"

Another joked: "I'd rather wake up exhausted every day of my life than count backwards in 90-minute blocks just once."

A third quipped: "Wait, people can decide when they go to sleep?!"

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.