How to Get Enough Sleep When Daylight Savings Time Ends

Fall is a season rich with comforts. Flannel shirts and cozy sweaters, strolls through pumpkin patches and apple farms, mugs steaming with mulled cider... But amidst these cozy pleasures is the jarring time change as daylight savings time ends. Originally invented by Benjamin Franklin to conserve energy, daylight savings time is now recognized by more than 70 countries. In the United States, excluding Hawaii, daylight savings time coincides with the summer, beginning in spring and ending in fall. We move forward by one hour on the second Sunday in March, then we turn clocks back again on the first Sunday in November, when daylight savings time ends. It’s something we observe every year, but somehow, it always seems to sneak up on us and it’s not always a welcome surprise. In an ideal world, the fall time change means gaining an hour of sleep; unfortunately, this is rarely the case. We may only be talking about an hour, but when it comes to our circadian rhythms, every minute counts. The reality is that most of us have trouble taking advantage of that extra hour and actually wind up not getting enough sleep. That’s why many people feel more tired than usual in the days following the time change. This year, the US will recognize the time change on November 3rd at 2 AM. To make sure you stay well-rested when the day rolls around, you’ll need to take certain precautions. In this article, we’ll explain how exactly the time change affects your sleep and give you some sleep tips to make it through the fall time change bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

The Time Change & Your Circadian Rhythm

Do you tend to wake up feeling fatigued when daylight savings time ends? When we turn clocks back, or forward for that matter, we abruptly alter our habitual exposure to light, the essential environmental cue that controls our 24-hour body clock. This “clock,” of course, is also known as our circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms are the physical, mental, and behavioral changes that take place in our body throughout the day. One of the body’s most important circadian rhythms is concerned with light and dark and therefore relies on a steady sleep schedule. Regularly disrupting your circadian rhythms, by not getting enough sleep, for example, can have many unfortunate side effects, including weight gain, impulsivity, and slower thinking. Even short-term disruption of your sleep schedule can negatively impact your performance, concentration, and memory. This is what many people find happens to them around the time daylight saving time ends and they are suddenly exposed to light at different hours.

So How Long Will It take to Adjust?

In general, they say that it takes about one day to adjust for each hour of time change. This rule applies to travel across time zones as much as it does to the fall time change. But while this rule works as a rough guide, the truth is that adjustment time will vary from person to person. In fact, research shows that the mere one hour shift in the sleep cycle that occurs when daylight savings time ends can affect sleep for up to a week. Short-sleepers, or those who regularly get less than 7.5 hours of sleep a night, tend to have it the worst. But the time change isn’t the only seasonal threat to your sleep schedule. As the weather grows colder and the sky grayer, we spend less time outside, decreasing our exposure to sunlight, our primary source of Vitamin D. Vitamin D is responsible for the production of serotonin, the “happiness hormone,’ which controls feelings of tiredness and depression. This seasonal fatigue and depression is called Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, and contributes to not getting enough sleep.

Do We Really Gain An Hour of Sleep in the Fall?

In theory, the fall time change could mean we get an extra hour of sleep. After all, the time change takes place in the middle of the night. But the reality is that few people actually benefit from that extra hour. Because of our circadian rhythms, our bodies are more likely to wake up after we’ve gotten our usual amount of sleep. So if you normally wake at 8 AM, you may find that instead of sleeping until your alarm goes off, you wake an hour earlier. Some people may even find themselves so distracted by the time change that they wake in the middle of the night. Considering the amount of time it ends up taking to adjust to the change of the clocks, studies have actually found a net loss of sleep in the following week.

Fall vs. Spring

The ways our bodies, health, and circadian rhythms are affected when daylight savings time ends are not the same as when it begins. In Fall, for example, we experience higher levels of fatigue and weariness due to longer exposure to darkness. The resulting lack of attentiveness is part of the reason why the risk of traffic accidents spikes in the days following the time change. The springtime change, on the other hand, when we “lose an hour of sleep,” leads to obvious sleep disruption. The resulting sleep fragmentation can be so harsh on our bodies that research even shows a 24% increased risk of heart attack on the Monday following the start of daylight savings time. Conversely, the risk of heart attack decreases by 21% on the Tuesday after daylight savings time ends, offering a welcome and hopeful outlook on the fall time change.

Sleep Tips For the Time Change

Wondering how to beat the fatigue of this season’s changing of the clocks? Don’t worry—we’ve got you covered. For a more refreshing Monday morning, follow our advice, which is sure to get you through the entire winter well-rested!

Make plans and run errands.

Staying active and social will keep your circadian rhythms flowing. It will also tire you out for bed. Resist the urge to stay in and hibernate, which may just result in latent energy.

Dress your bed for the winter.

Make sure you have the optimal sleep environment for the season by swapping summer sheets for flannel ones and heavier blankets. In addition to mattresses, Dreamcloud offers a weighted blanket, which is sure to relax you and put you to sleep.

Avoid caffeine after 2 PM.

The half-life of caffeine is 4 to 6 hours, meaning consumption in the late afternoon could result in pesky feelings of wakefulness and not getting enough sleep.

Work near a window.

This way, you maximize your exposure to daylight. Studies show that workers with longer light exposure tended to sleep longer and better.

Take a 30-minute nap.

A catnap in the afternoon is a great way to restore lost energy.

Establish a sleep routine.

Focus on good sleep hygiene by making sure to stay away from bright lights (including blue light from screens) in the evenings. Take a warm bath before bed and using aromatherapy to calm you.

Exercise regularly.

Keeping up a regular exercise routine improves the quality of sleep and helps keep your sleep schedule on track.

Keep your body temperature low.

Wearing socks to bed keeps your feet warm, dilating blood vessels, which ultimately lowers your core body temperature, helping you fall asleep. Many mattresses now boast of cooling features as well.  For example, while traditional memory foam can cause you to sleep hot, Nectar is designed with a breathable Tencel cover, cooling gel foam, breathable semi-open Lush foam, and a breathable base layer.

Don’t Forget to Change Your Clocks!

Clocks on your smart devices, like cell phones and computers, will change automatically, but don’t forget the others. When November 3rd comes, you’ll need to make sure the clocks in your car, on your oven, coffee machine, and microwave are all turned back by one hour. And if you use an analog alarm clock, you won’t want to forget that! Hopefully, with these sleep tips, this season’s time change won’t be too challenging of an adjustment. For now, focus on maintaining a steady sleep schedule. You may just be one of the lucky ones to benefit from that extra hour of sleep!