Q&A: Springing forward and struggling with sleep
It's time to spring forward!
At 2 a.m. Sunday, we set the clocks ahead one hour for daylight saving time—meaning we all lose that dreaded hour of sleep.
Daylight saving time was originally introduced by Germany to conserve energy during wartime and later adopted by the United States during World War I. It wasn’t standardized nationwide until 1966, when Congress passed the Uniform Time Act. Today, it runs from the second Sunday in March until the first Sunday in November, though most Americans—and many scientists, health agencies and even the American Academy of Sleep Medicine—aren’t fans.
Only Arizona and Hawaii opt out, while the rest of the country follows the time change.
For years, the debate has raged: Do we really need daylight saving time? Critics argue that it disrupts natural sleep cycles and can lead to negative health impacts. Proponents generally argue that is saves energy, promotes outdoor activity during summer evenings, and therefore is good for physical and psychological health.
Christine Spadola, an assistant professor of social work at The University of Texas at Arlington, is among those who say no to daylight saving time. A sleep expert with a postdoctoral research fellowship in sleep and circadian disorders from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, she knows how losing just an hour of sleep can throw off our sleep cycles for days.
So how does daylight saving time really affect sleep? Does it hit older adults harder than younger people? And what can you do to fight off the fatigue?
Our sleep expert has the answers:
Daylight saving time is often criticized for disrupting sleep. What specific changes occur in our sleep cycles when we "spring forward" or "fall back”?
Most health agencies, most scientists and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, oppose daylight saving time. Standard time is the preferred time for health reasons as Standard Time aligns best to our circadian rhythm. There’s a whole movement called Save Standard Time which is a nonpartisan activist group promoting a switch to permanent Standard Time.
On Sunday we are going to abruptly lose an hour of sleep and the majority of us will be sleep deprived. While we move our clocks forward, our social clocks do not move forward so we lose an hour of sleep. It may take a week to adjust, but sometimes, we can feel the implications for several weeks. In addition to sleep deprivation, we may experience a reduction in sleep quality; it may be harder to fall asleep and harder to wake up early, so we will see reductions in sleep duration and sleep quality as well as circadian disruption.
In general, daylight saving time has a negative impact on our circadian rhythm which regulates all of our bodily functions and our brain. Our circadian rhythm/24-hour clock is naturally aligned to light/dark cycle. When there are discrepancies between sun time, social time and biological time, we experience circadian misalignment.
There’s also data that shows the week after daylight saving time, there is an increase in cardiovascular events, car accidents, medical errors, even some mental health challenges. Not trying to sound alarming, but it is important to be aware of that.
For those who struggle with sleep when the clocks change, what are some practical steps to prepare in the days leading up to the switch?
You can start trying to go to bed 15 to 20 minutes earlier the week leading up to the time change and wake up 15 to 20 minutes earlier. But I would also say when you wake up on Sunday, and on the days following daylight saving time, get as much natural (outdoor) light as possible ideally in the morning. Even on cloudy days, this light is important to help our circadian rhythm get re-aligned. I also suggest having grace with yourself and others—many will be sleep deprived and it will take time to adjust.
In the mornings following daylight saving time we see an uptick in car accidents that is linked to sleep deprivation so I will also suggest driving carefully.
The most important thing, and this is for sleep in general, is to keep your sleep schedule as consistent as possible. The easiest thing we control is our wake time, so setting an alarm and waking up at the same time every morning or within half an hour of that wake up time can be really helpful and help mitigate the effect of daylight saving time. Also be mindful of caffeine- if you are sensitive to it, do not it drink it too late in the day, and alcohol, while it can initially promote sleep onset, leads to fragmented sleep.
Does daylight saving time affect certain groups more than others? Are older adults, younger adults or children more vulnerable to its effects?
Adolescents and young adults are one group most impacted by daylight saving time. Due to changes in puberty and the timing of when melatonin is released in their system, they are natural night owls and want to stay up later and sleep later. Our adolescents are already sleep deprived. Some school start times are egregiously early and, if that adolescent takes the bus, they must wake up even earlier. They are already sleep deprived in general and daylight saving time just exacerbates that. They’re now waking up when it’s dark outside, too, and in general, sunlight is very important to getting started in the morning. Standard time aligns with that, not daylight saving time. So, we’re sleep depriving teenagers more and they’re waking up in the dark. In general, daylight saving time can negatively impact anyone with work or school start times 8:30 a.m. or earlier. But another group impacted is caregivers of young children. Time changes are especially hard for parents and guardians and can throw off sleep schedules and nap times.
Finally, any last tips for adjusting to the time change?
I will just reiterate that we should have grace with ourselves and others as many of us will be sleep-deprived and experience a circadian rhythm disruption. However, it is temporary, of course, and our bodies will adjust. Getting outdoors in the morning and early afternoon can be helpful, and maintaining a consistent wake-up time to promote sleep regularity is also helpful.
