How to adjust for Daylight Saving Time? Health tips as we lose an hour of sleep
Daylight Saving Time kicks off this weekend — and yes, that means we will lose an hour of sleep.
That change can throw off your body’s internal clock and make it harder to go to bed at your normal time, according to health experts. So, as we prepare for the time change, how can we help to keep our sleep on track?
Here’s what to know before and after clocks “spring forward” at 2 a.m. Sunday.
Preparing for the change
Before Daylight Saving Time starts, some experts urge people to adjust their sleep schedules.
“If you aren’t already sleeping the recommended seven to nine hours per night, make sure you do so in the week leading up to the time change,” Keara Ahern of Penn Family Medicine Voorhees said on the University of Pennsylvania Health System website in 2020.
Another tip is to start going to bed 15 minutes earlier the nights before the time change, according to doctors. If you can’t do that, sleeping early on Saturday can help reduce tiredness, according to the Penn Medicine website.
Besides getting lots of sleep, officials suggest introducing healthy sleep habits by eating at regular times and avoiding screen time in bed.
“Sometimes our brain doesn’t have that time to be able to then process and transition and get ready for sleep,” Dr. Shalini Paruthi, co-director of the Sleep Medicine and Research Center at St. Luke’s Hospital in Missouri, told CNN.
After the clocks switch
It can be rough to get your sleep schedule back on track in the days after the clocks move forward.
That’s because the change impacts your circadian rhythm, which determines the body’s patterns of sleeping and waking up. One factor impacting the cycle is the hour of light we will lose in the morning, according to doctors.
“Once you’re awake, step outside and get some sunshine,” Dr. Carmen Dohmeier of Cone Health in North Carolina said in 2020. “Daylight helps us wake up and helps prime our brains for a normal circadian rhythm.”
Then at night, it’s best to dim lights to get ready for bed, according to the Penn Medicine website.
If you feel like you need rest after the time changes, experts at the Mayo Clinic said it’s best to take a 15-minute nap in the afternoon. It may also be a good idea to consume caffeine and finish workouts well before bedtime.
“Moderate-to-high intensity exercise should be performed earlier in the day, as late-night exercise can inhibit a good night’s sleep,” Mark Aloia of Philips Healthcare told the Today Show.
This story was originally published March 10, 2021 at 3:55 PM.
