Applies to: Sleep Number® app, SleepIQ® account
The Circadian Rhythm feature in the Sleep Number® app helps you understand your natural sleep/wake cycle and provides personalized guidance, including your ideal sleep schedule and optimal times for daily activities like workouts, dinner, and winding down.
After 7 days of consistent sleep, the app analyzes your patterns and updates insights daily. The feature is available in the Sleep tab of the app
What Is Circadian Rhythm?
Your circadian rhythm is your body’s internal 24‑hour clock that regulates your sleep/wake cycle, energy levels, eating patterns, and other essential bodily functions.
When your sleep schedule is inconsistent—because of travel, late nights, early meetings, or sleeping in—your circadian rhythm can drift, leaving you feeling sluggish, less alert, and mentally fatigued.
The Circadian Rhythm feature in the Sleep Number app helps you:
- Understand your natural sleep rhythm
- Maintain a more consistent schedule
- Improve energy, focus, and overall sleep quality
- Build habits that support daily performance
How the Circadian Rhythm Feature Works
After 7 consecutive days of consistent sleep, the app analyzes your SleepIQ® sleep sessions and identifies:
- Your typical bedtime
- Your typical wake time
- Your ideal sleep schedule
- Your optimal times for key activities
These insights are updated daily with each new sleep session.
Your Ideal Sleep Schedule
The Ideal Schedule identifies your recommended bedtime and wake time based on consistency.
Examples:
- If you sleep at 9:45 PM for 3 nights and 10:15 PM for 4 nights → your ideal bedtime is about 10:00 PM.
- If your bedtimes vary widely (e.g., 9:45 PM vs. 11:30 PM) → the app can’t generate an ideal schedule. You’ll receive guidance on how to build consistency.
You can compare your recent sleep sessions to your Ideal Schedule within the Sleep Health à Timing section.
Optimal Times for Daily Activities
Based on your established sleep/wake cycle, the app provides personalized recommendations for when you're likely to be at your best for:
- Workouts
- Dinner
- Daytime alertness peaks
- Winding down
These times are calculated from:
- Your sleep session data
- Sleep science related to cognitive, physical, and digestive functioning
Ideal times appear on the Your Day tab of the Circadian Rhythm feature.
How to Access the Circadian Rhythm Feature
You can access Circadian Rhythm from the Sleep tab in the Sleep Number® app.
The feature updates daily and includes insights for both your day and night.
Note: This feature does not appear for short nap sleep sessions.
Step-by-Step: Accessing Circadian Rhythm
- Open the Sleep Number app.
- Tap the Sleep tab.
- Scroll to the Circadian Rhythm section.
- Select View details to see your full insights.
- Navigate between:
- Your Day — ideal activity times
- Your Night — bedtime, wake time, ideal schedule
Understanding Your Circadian Rhythm Views
Your Day
Shows optimal times for:
- Exercising
- Eating dinner
- Winding down
- Your most alert hours
Your Night
Shows:
- Your previous night’s bedtime and wake time
- Whether you hit your ideal schedule
- Green = within ideal schedule
- Yellow = outside ideal schedule
Consistent bedtimes and wake times improve predictions for your average daily performance.
How to Set a Bedtime Reminder
Keeping a consistent schedule is one of the most effective ways to strengthen your circadian rhythm. You can set reminders directly in the app.
Steps to set a bedtime reminder
- Open the Sleep Number® app.
- Go to Sleep → Circadian Rhythm → View details.
- Scroll to Need a reminder?
- Tap View Reminders.
- Create a new reminder or edit an existing reminder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can’t I see the Circadian Rhythm feature today?
The feature does not display for short nap sessions. It appears only when a full sleep session is recorded.
Do I need consistent sleep for this feature to work?
Yes. The app needs 7 days of consistent sleep timing to generate accurate ideal sleep schedules and optimal activity times.
What counts as “consistent sleep”?
Your bedtime and wake time should be within about one hour of each other each night.
Why is my ideal schedule missing?
Your sleep times varied too widely. You’ll see guidance in the app on how to build consistency.
How often does Circadian Rhythm update?
It updates daily when a new full sleep session is recorded.
Do these insights affect my SleepIQ® score?
No. Circadian Rhythm insights do not change your SleepIQ® score.
Troubleshooting
My schedule seems off:
Make sure:
- Make sure your app is updated to the latest version and your bed is online.
- Your Timezone is correctly set.
- Stay consistent with bedtimes and wake times improve predictions.