A good night's sleep is all about how you wake up

Today I was woken up at 5am by my dog who just wanted to say hey - before curling up on the bed and going back to sleep for two of the 18 hours she normally spends snoring.

While my dog feels great, I've spent most of the day feeling like murder is a really good idea. While I didn't feel like I lost all that much sleep, according to Michael Breus, I'd knocked my internal clock out of whack, and now I'm paying the price.

The clock is your boss ⏰

“Waking up at the same time will help you get optimal sleep at night,” says Michael Breus, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and author of The Sleep Doctor’s Diet Plan. Our circadian rhythm, the internal clock that runs our sleep and wake cycle, resets every morning.

To get in sync with this reset, Breus says you should focus on this being the most consistent in your sleep routine over a consistent bedtime to feel the most well-rested. While I took that to mean I could run on an hour's sleep as long as I woke up at the same time, there are some caveats to the same time wake up deal. Here's how you can up your sleeping game:

• Be consistent, when you can: Your bedtime is still connected to your wake-up time and you should always aim to get enough sleep every night, Breus explains. The difference here is that if you’re keeping good sleep habits, your body will be more forgiving if you have the occasional late night or two.
• Keep your naps short and sweet: If you do need to doze off for a bit, Breus recommends doing so in the afternoon between 1 pm and 3 pm for 25 minutes tops. “In the afternoon, your body temperature drops and releases melatonin. If your nap surpasses 25 minutes, you transition into a deep sleep, which will probably make you feel less refreshed,” he says.
• It's ok to ask for help sleeping: Studies show that taking melatonin can improve sleep quality, and Breus also suggests considering a dietary supplement, like SeroVital Advanced, which contains an amino-renewal complex that works synergistically to improve sleep.

Sadly, he didn't have any advice on what to do with dogs.