How to set up a Sleep schedule for bedtime on iPhone

The first step is to find and open the Health app. The easiest way to do this, if you’re not sure where it’s stashed, is to drag down from the middle of the home screen to bring down the Search field, then type in ‘health’.

Scroll down the Health Categories (they’re in alphabetical order) and tap Sleep.

Scroll down until you see the Set Up Sleep section, then tap the blue Get Started button. Hit Next on the following information screen.

Use the + and – buttons to set your desired sleep time in hours and minutes. Then tap Next.

It’s time to set up your first sleep schedule. Most people will want to set multiple schedules according to their sleep patterns – for example, one for weekdays and another for weekends.

Tap the day symbols (M = Monday, T = Tuesday etc.) to add or subtract them from your initial schedule.

On the same screen as the previous step, tap and drag the bed icon on the dial to set your bedtime. Then tap and drag the bell icon to set your wake up time. The dial will turn yellow if your times don’t match up with the Sleep Goal you set at Step 4.

Scroll down and you’ll find Alarm Options. Toggle the Wake Up Alarm on or off depending on whether you wish to set an alarm. Tap Sound & Haptics to change the alarm tone and vibration pattern, and hit the toggle to enable a Snooze button function.

Tap Add in the top right corner once you’ve finished.

The next screen is Your Schedules, where you can add more schedules for those days where you wish to sleep and wake at different times, such as at weekends.

Tap the Add a Schedule For Other Days text and repeat steps 5 through 7 to set up as many additional sleep schedules as you require. Finally tap Next when you return to this screen.

Sleep Screen reduces distractions by simplifying your Lock Screen and turning on Sleep Focus during your scheduled bedtime hours. Tap Enable Sleep Screen if you wish this to be active, or Skip if not.

The next screen lets you reduce distractions ahead of your bedtime. Use the + and – buttons to set the Wind Down period before sleep, then tap Enable Wind Down. If you don’t wish to implement this, tap Skip.

Next you can pin apps and shortcuts to the Lock screen during Wind Down. You might want to add your favourite podcast or journaling app.

Tap Set Up Shortcuts, tap on the apps you wish to add, then tap the shortcut you wish to add with the green + icon next to them. Hit Add Another Shortcut if necessary, and Next when done.

Alternatively, hit Skip if you don’t wish to add any Lock screen shortcuts during Wind Down time. Hit Done on the final summary screen.