Adjusting to Daylight Savings Time

Daylight Saving Time is the practice of setting the clocks forward one hour from standard time during the summer months and back again in the fall to make better use of natural daylight. 

Moving the clock back one hour in the fall doesn’t just affect your schedule — it can throw off your body’s internal clock, too.

That hour of sleep that’s lost or gained can leave you feeling groggy and irritable. It can also be dangerous. Studies have found that heart attacks and fatal car accidents increase after the spring shift to Daylight Saving Time.

Why is the change of one hour so hard? 

Moving our clocks in either direction affects how daylight resets our 24-hour sleep-wake cycle. Our internal clock, or circadian rhythm, becomes out of sync with our current day-night cycle.

In the fall, when you’ve gained an hour of sleep, you might not feel tired, but you may notice to change when you’re waiting an extra hour to eat or to leave work at the end of the day. When the clocks move forward in the spring, you’ll “lose” an hour of sleep and may have trouble falling asleep an hour earlier.  In turn, you won’t get as much quality sleep as you need.

How long will it take you to adapt to time changes? 

The rule of thumb is that it takes about one day to adjust for each hour of a time change. However, there are a few things you can do to prepare for the shift.

Make Gradual Shifts

About a week before falling back, go to bed and wake up approximately 15 minutes later each day.

Reverse for the spring and go to bed and wake up approximately 15 minutes earlier each day.

If you need more time to adjust, start earlier and gradually increase/decrease 15-minute increments every few days.

Keep your schedule

Stick to your schedule. Be consistent with eating, social activities, and exercise times during the transition. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, even on the weekends.

No long naps

Avoiding naps is critical for adjusting to the time change. Long naps will make it harder for you to get a quality night’s sleep. If you can’t get through the day without a nap, make it short and earlier in the day to avoid disrupting your nighttime routine.

If you feel sleepy the Sunday after the time change, take a short 15- to 20- minute nap in the early afternoon but not too close to bedtime.

Use light to regulate your internal clock. 

Light suppresses the production of melatonin, our sleep hormone. It’s important to expose yourself to light as soon as you wake up and as much as possible during waking hours. Conversely, do not expose yourself to bright light when it is dark outside.