How to set sleep schedules on iOS

With iOS 14, Apple introduced the ability to set your sleep schedules in the Health app. The feature itself is not too complicated. You calculate how many hours you ideally want to sleep each night and then set a scheduled bedtime and wake-up time that fits that goal.

Of course, you can always set a single or repeat alarm within the Clock app. The main reason you would opt for a sleep schedule is that it allows you to set a specific goal and more easily automate a sleep routine. For example, you can automatically start Sleep Focus mode at your scheduled bedtime and set sleep reminders. If you use an Apple Watch or another sleep tracker/app, you can also receive notifications whenever you meet or exceed your sleep goal.

You're also not limited to just one sleep schedule. This can be a useful tool if your work, class, or morning exercise schedule differs from day to day. But before you can configure multiple schedules, you must configure the first one. To do that:

• Open the Health application.
• Touch the Browse tab at the bottom right.
• Scroll down and tap Sleep. You should see a Configure sleep window. Touch the Begin button. (If you don't see this option, don't worry, skip to the next section.)
• Establish a dream goal How long do you want to sleep each night? Then tap Next.
• Set your first schedule by choosing which days you want it to be active. Move the Time to sleep and wake up slider to know when you want to go to bed and wake up. You can do this by dragging the Bed and Clock icons.
• If you want a wake-up alarm, activate the toggle. Under the Alarm button, you can choose the alarm sound in Sounds and hapticsset the alarm volume and turn the alarm on or off Snap lever. One quirk: You can't select a song for a sleep schedule alarm like you can for other alarms set in the Clock app.
• Tap Next. You will then be asked to set up a Sleep Focus mode, but you can skip this if you wish. You can configure it at any time by going to Settings > Focus on your iPhone.

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

• Follow the first three steps above.
• Scroll down to the Your Schedule section. Tap Full schedule and options.
• Under the Full Schedule heading, scroll down and tap Add schedule.
• Select which days you want the schedule to be active.
• Move the Time to sleep and wake up slider at the appropriate times. You can do this by dragging the Bed and Clock icon.
• If you want to set an alarm, turn on the Alarm lever. You can customize your options to Sounds and haptics and Snap here.
• Tap Add in the upper right corner.

There are also multiple customization options within the Sleep settings of the Health app. For example, you can set up a Logout window by going to Health > Sleep > Full schedule and options > Additional details > Relax. The relaxation window can be set between 15 minutes and three hours before your scheduled bedtime. At that point, it will automatically activate your phone's Sleep Focus. (You can also disable this setting by going to Health > Sleep > Full schedule > Use schedule to focus on sleep.)

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 can contact you, as well as edit your home screen and lock screen. You can also link a specific lock screen or home screen page.

inside the Full schedule and options settings, you can also adjust your sleep goal and modify other settings. In it Additional details section, you can choose to enable Sleep Reminders or Sleep Results.

• Sleep reminders Notifies you when your relaxation window or bedtime is about to begin.
• Meanwhile, enable Sleep results It means the Health app will notify you every time you meet or exceed your sleep goals. You'll need to enable sleep tracking on your Apple Watch or integrate data from a third-party app or sleep tracker.

iOS used to have a Bed Time feature where users could track sleep using just their phones, but it has since been removed in iOS 18. Now, you'll need an Apple Watch if you want specific sleep tracking data, although you can still set bedtimes without one.

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

• In the Health app's Sleep menu, scroll down to Full schedule and options section. under the Full schedule heading, you should see a list of your schedules. Under each one, you should see a blue Edit link. Tap it to modify your schedules.
• You can also make a temporary edit. In the Health app's Sleep menu, scroll down to Your schedule. At the top, you should see your Upcoming schedule. touch the blue Edit link to make a temporary change just for your next wake-up alarm.
• In the Clock app, tap the Alarm eyelash. At the top, you should see the Bed icon next to Sleep | Wake up alarm. Touch the Change button on the right. Drag the bed and alarm icons on the slider to your new schedules and tap Made in the upper right corner. When prompted, select whether you want to permanently change the schedule or change only the next alarm.
• On your Apple Watch, open the Sleep app, indicated by a turquoise icon with a white bed. To edit just your next alarm, tap the displayed schedule labeled Next. If you want to permanently edit a schedule, tap the Full schedule button. From here you can tap the schedule you want to edit or create a new one by tapping Add schedule. If you scroll down, you can also edit your dream goal either Relax time.

Update, October 7, 2024: This article was originally published on August 8, 2022 and has been updated to indicate that the Time in Bed feature has been removed in iOS 18.