How to turn off Sleep Mode on the iPhone

If you take your phone to bed at night, you may be woken by phone calls and pings from incoming text messages. Plus, as notifications come in, your phone will wake up, and the bright screen will wake you from your slumber, disturbing your lucid dream where you are running about with no pants on. We’ll show you how to turn on and turn off Sleep Mode on the iPhone and manage your sleep schedules on your device. Sleep Mode can mean the difference between a good night’s rest and replying to your boss’s “urgent” email at 3.00 am.

How to turn off Sleep Mode in the Control Center

Sleep Mode will automatically turn off when you reach your wake-up time set in the Health app. However, if you wake up early one morning, you can disable Sleep Mode yourself manually using Control Center.

• Swipe the iPhone screen down from the top-right to open Control Center.
• Tap the Sleep status icon (a green bed in a white circle.)
• You’ll be presented with a couple of Focus statuses such as Do Not Disturb or Personal to replace your Sleep Focus.
• Tap on the Focus you’d like to switch to or simply tap on white Sleep button to go to your iPhone’s default Focus.

How to enable Sleep Mode manually

You can also turn Sleep Mode on during the day. This can be useful if you’re taking a nap or just trying to focus on what you’re doing.

• Swipe the iPhone screen down from the top-right to open Control Center.
• Tap and hold the Focus icon (the icon should be the last used Focus)
• You’ll be presented with a couple of Focus features such as Do Not Disturb, Personal, Sleep or any other Focus you have set up on your device.
• Tap on the the Sleep button.

How to manage your sleep schedules in the Health app

Sleep Mode automation features are handled by the Health App, so if you want to change the cycle or completely turn off the automation, you’ll have to work through the app as well.

• Find and open your Health App.
• Tap on the Sleep card on the Summary screen.
• Scroll down and tap on Full Schedule & Options.

• Under the Full Schedule category, tap on Edit to revise your desired time to go to bed.
• Under Additional Details you’ll find your Sleep Goal and Wind Down. Yours may vary. The other options in Additional Details are optional, but I recommend enabling them all.
• Sleep experts like the NHLBI, NIH, and Mayo Clinic, states that the ideal adult Sleep Goal is between 7 to 9 hours. But you can set your own number depending on your goals.
• Wind Down is optional, but if you want a “time to go to bed soon” reminder, you can set that.

If you own an Apple Watch, you can track your sleep through your watch and get charging reminders before bed (usually an hour before.) I’ve found sleep data to be much more accurate through the Apple Watch, and the alarm and haptics on my wrist wake me up faster.

How to Manage Your Sleep Focus

You can also manage Sleep Mode through your iPhone’s Focus settings. To do this, follow these instructions:

• Open Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner of your iPhone.
• Touch and hold the Focus icon until options pop-up.
• Tap on the three-dot icon next to Sleep and then tap on Settings once it reveals itself.

Within the Sleep Focus settings, you can customize various options, including:

• Apps Allowed: Choose which apps are allowed to send you notifications during Sleep Focus. By default, only critical notifications will come through, while non-critical notifications will be silenced.
• People: Specify certain contacts whose notifications will bypass Sleep Focus’s restrictions. For example, you might want to allow calls or messages from family members or close friends to come through even during your sleep hours.
• Customize Screens: Choose a lock screen or home screen to turn on to activate Sleep Focus and Sleep Mode.
• Focus Filters: Customize how your apps and device behave when Sleep Mode is turned on.
• Schedule: This option allows you to schedule Sleep Focus to turn on automatically during your usual sleep hours. You can set up your typical bedtime and wake-up time here.

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