Getting Better Sleep: How To Adjust For Daylight Saving Time

Daylight saving time ends on Sunday, November 7. That means it’s time to “fall back” as the saying goes. But for a lot of people, it’s not as simple as setting the clocks back an hour. For some of us, it’s a process of getting used to a change that can disrupt our daily routines and rhythms, and even affect our sleep. If you’re one of them, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has some strategies and suggestions that can help.

Sleep Gains & Losses

When time moves back one hour in the fall, we “gain” an hour. That gives most people the chance to go to bed an hour earlier or get an extra hour of sleep. But the impact of a daylight saving time change isn’t just felt on one day.

According to a 2013 study published in the journal Sleep Medicine Reviews, it can take about a week for the body to adjust to new times for sleeping, eating, and just about everything else. That means you might have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking up at the right time until you’ve adjusted. This can lead to sleep deprivation and reduced productivity at work or school. People also experience somewhat higher risks to their health and safety after time changes, including auto accidents and even heart attacks.

The biggest reason for these problems is believed to be a disruption in our circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms are daily cycles of hormones and body functions that prepare us for things like sleeping, eating, work, school, exercise, and other activities. These rhythms are influenced by exposure to light and darkness, so they often have difficulty adjusting to abrupt changes like a sudden one-hour time difference.

Sleep-Saving Changes

To help reduce these risks, consider making a few changes to your daily routine about a week and a half before the time change goes into effect.

• Gradually move the times you’re going to bed and waking up, eating meals, exercising, and getting exposure to light by about 15-20 minutes each day until they’re in line with the new time.
• Keep the lights dim and avoid electronic screens on TVs, computers, tablets, and the like before you go to bed and right after you wake up. It can help you fall asleep more easily and help your body adjust to the time change more quickly.
• Be sure to get enough sleep and try to be well rested several days before the time change goes into effect.
• Consider reducing demanding physical and mental tasks as much as possible to allow yourself time to adjust.
• Be especially vigilant while driving, at work, and at home since everyone may be sleepier than normal and be at higher risk for incidents and accidents.

The time change doesn’t affect everyone, and it doesn’t affect everyone equally. According to the same Sleep Medicine Reviews study, people who sleep seven hours or less each day tend to have more problems with time changes. So do those who follow an “early to bed, early to rise” sleep pattern, especially this time of year, since the fall time change goes against their natural tendencies.

If it affects you, try these strategies and see if they help. They just might be the key to better sleep. And not just this time of year.