How Fast You Fall Asleep Can Reveal Important Clues About Your Health

The time between switching off the light and actually falling asleep is known as sleep-onset latency. It varies naturally, but a repeated pattern at either extreme can reveal inadequate sleep, excessive sleepiness or difficulty regulating the sleep-wake cycle.

Experts generally describe about 10 to 20 minutes as a healthy range for many adults. That figure is a guide rather than a diagnosis, because bedtime, stress, substances, medications and the previous night’s sleep all influence how quickly someone drifts off.