Plan ahead for a better time transition

Daylight saving time occurs this Sunday.

While most people welcome the warmer temperatures and budding foliage that signals spring’s entrance, one rite of spring—the transition to daylight saving time that will occur Sunday at 2 a.m.—goes against Mother Nature.

“By setting our clocks ahead one hour, we are fighting our own biology,” says Kevin Carter, DO, a family and sleep medicine specialist with Kettering Health Network. “Losing an hour of sleep disrupts our circadian rhythm—the built-in ‘clock’ in our heads.”

Dr. Carter explained that light is a cue for waking and sleeping, so the sudden change of our mechanical clocks makes it difficult to fall asleep and wake at our usual times because those cues come an hour later than they did just the day before. “It takes several days to a week to adjust,” he says.

Sleep deficit dangers

It doesn’t help that many people are already not getting enough sleep. “We are a chronically sleep-deprived nation,” Carter says, adding that the start of daylight saving time often sees an increase in events associated with sleep deprivation, from acute cardiovascular disease to motor vehicle collisions.

Quality matters

Carter emphasizes the importance of getting quality sleep—specifically, the dream-producing sleep of the rapid eye movement (REM) stage. “Everything we learn during the day is consolidated in our memories during REM sleep,” he explains. Because people cycle through sleep stages several times each night, “losing a whole hour of sleep, you could potentially miss a full REM cycle because of the time change.”

Try these tips to help you adjust to the clock change:

Maintain your usual bedtime routine. “Winddown time is very important,” Carter says.

Implement change gradually. Instead of going to bed an hour early on Saturday night, adjust your bedtime by 15-minute increments in the four days before.

Dim evening lights. “Light is the most powerful re-trainer,” says Carter. As the sun descends, your body starts releasing melatonin—a natural sleep aid— four to six hours before the onset of natural sleep. “Artificial light has ruined people’s sleep because it suppresses the release of melatonin, so reduce the light as much as you can. Use dimmer switches and softer wattages.”

Beware blue light, which Carter says suppresses melatonin the most.

“Avoid screens at least one hour before bedtime.” If you must be on a device, use blue-light-blocking glasses, screen filters, or the device’s eye-saver, night or sleep mode.

Wake to bright light. There are lights that simulate light levels of the sun by progressively increasing brightness. You could also plug a lamp into a timer set to turn on at wake-up time.

If you struggle with sleep, you might benefit from consulting a sleep specialist. Visit ketteringhealth.org/ sleep or call 1-844-802-9410 to request an appointment.