Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 a.m. local time this Sunday. Yet, as this change goes on to affect millions of people in North America and Europe, it will be an enormous success. So as you turn your clocks back one hour before you go to bed, savor that extra hour of sleep. This announcement is a huge, welcome improvement for so many. What this transformation means for your health and everyday life. Daylight Saving Time will return March 8. Standard time will be in place until then.
Sleep experts suggest moving bedtimes earlier in 15-minute increments each night in the days leading up to the time change. This strategy can be an effective way to ease the transition while limiting disruption to circadian rhythms. Even with this unfortunate transition, getting outside to get morning sunlight will always be advantageous. Getting natural light exposure, especially in the morning, can help reset your internal clock.
Except for a few areas—most of North America and Europe mainly— Daylight Saving Time is not very popular. Residents in the sunniest U.S. states of Arizona and Hawaii miss out on this semiannual liberty-loving clock change.
The fall switch is typically less jarring for the general public since they receive an hour of sleep, which is why many people tend to favor this transition. Approximately one in three U.S. adults continue to have difficulty obtaining the suggested seven or more hours of sleep each night. Furthermore, research indicates that more than half of U.S. teenagers do not meet the suggested eight-plus hours of sleep during weeknights.
Even in a good time of year the first few days after the clock change can be tough. Research has already associated the time change with a spike in car crash and heart attack risk. “The best way to think about it is as if the central clock were like a conductor of an orchestra and each of the organs were a different instrument,” explained Jamie Zeitzer, an expert on circadian rhythms. This analogy highlights the interplay between all of the different body systems that are controlled by the body’s circadian clock.
That’s why early morning sunshine is necessary for healthy sleep. It helps reset your circadian rhythm, which governs your wakefulness and sleepiness. As individuals adapt to the time change, it is essential to prioritize exposure to natural light early in the day.
Others will be easier than others, and some transition will be easier for some people. People who have seasonal affective disorder (SAD) find adjusting to the time change is particularly difficult. These people would benefit from creating an environment and practice that better suit them. Taking the time to do so can avoid or diminish any adverse impacts caused by the transition.
Altering your body clock by way of the spring switch—if you additionally lose an hour’s value of sleep—tends to be much more daunting than the fall transition. This can lead to fatigue and reduced effectiveness as people adjust to their changed commute time.
