Getting a good night's sleep can be challenging for a lot of people.
Many can't sleep until at least two in the morning whether it's due to stress, pain or other factors whilst others are asleep as soon as their head hits the pillow.
And as it turns out, the time that you go to sleep at could be affecting your sleep pattern no matter how many hours of shuteye you get and in turn, it can have an adverse affect on your health and well-being.
In a video online, TikToker theallenye says: "This is your reminder that getting eight hours of sleep like going to bed at 2am and getting up at 10am is not the same as going to bed at 10am and waking up at 6pm."
But some people were not convinced it was true.
Responding to the original video, Dr Karan Raj, an NHS surgeon, said: "What time you choose to go to bed can actually affect your sleep quality."
He explained that sleep is broken down into 90 minutes cycles during which an individual's brain moves from non-REM to REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.
According to the NHS surgeon who is verified on the app: "Although the 90 minute sleep cycles remain constant throughout the night, the ratio of non-REM sleep to REM sleep changes.
"The early part of the night is dominated by the deeper, more restorative non-REM but as you get towards day break, you get more of the lighter, dream-infused REM.
"And regardless of what time you choose to go to bed, the shift from non-REM shift sleep dominating to REM sleep dominating happens at specific parts of the night.
"If you go to bed super late at two or three o'clock in the morning, your sleep will be more REM heavy and you will have less of the deeper non-REM sleep which could leave you feeling groggy."
In the comment section of his TikTok video he later added: "Sleep is also partially genetically determined as well as by our environment so later sleep times work better for some!
"AND we need BOTH REM & NREM sleep as both perform crucial functions! One isn't *bad* but you need NREM for memory consolidation etc!"
Many people said that they didn't believe what he was saying telling him that they can sleep at any time and feel the same.
However the doctor replied that how they feel "doesn't change what I said in terms of sleep biology" adding that "sleep scheduling is key and it’s great you have a good sleep routine but it doesn’t take away from the fact that the ratio of NREM/REM shifts."
What do you think? Do you find that you are in a lower mood if you've fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning?
