{"id":2155,"date":"2018-10-23T19:29:58","date_gmt":"2018-10-23T19:29:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bettersleeppro.wpengine.com\/?p=2155"},"modified":"2024-02-13T15:35:13","modified_gmt":"2024-02-13T15:35:13","slug":"sleep-tips-daylight-saving-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bettersleep.org\/blog\/sleep-tips-daylight-saving-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Sleep Tips for Daylight Saving Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Americans have moved their clocks forward 1 hour in the spring and back again in the fall since the Standard Time Act of 1918. Though the dates on which we change time have varied since then, the law currently states Daylight Saving Time ends on the first Sunday in November. That means we\u2019ll set our clocks back at 2:00 a.m. local time on November 4 this year.<\/p>\n

You might look forward to this day, thinking, \u201cYes! An extra hour of sleep this weekend!\u201d Not so fast. Time change can temporarily disrupt your circadian rhythm \u2013 the internal body clock that controls your natural cycle of sleepiness and alertness \u2013 which can lead to days of fatigue, limited productivity and difficulty concentrating.<\/p>\n

One Hour Difference Can Become a Week of Struggle<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

How much of a difference does an hour make anyway? For many, it\u2019s more than you may think. A Better Sleep Council\u00a0survey<\/a>\u00a0revealed that 40% of U.S. adults say it takes them a week, sometimes longer, to get back to normal after resetting their clocks. Sorry, ladies. More women (46%) reported struggling with the time change than did men (32%).<\/p>\n

A sleep study conducted by Liverpool John Moores University in England confirms what many of us are feeling. During the week following the autumnal time change, researchers found people woke up earlier, had more trouble falling asleep, and were more likely to wake up during the night. Instead of gaining an hour of sleep, the cumulative effect of these sleep issues actually suggests an overall loss of sleep. That\u2019s an ironic \u2013\u00a0and unfortunate \u2013\u00a0plot twist when the fall time change actually affords us an additional hour in the day.<\/p>\n

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Adjusting to the Time Change<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Unless you live in Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or another U.S. territory that doesn\u2019t observe Daylight Saving Time, you\u2019ll have to deal with the time change and all the consequences that come with it. (You wouldn\u2019t want to be an hour early to every appointment for the next 18 weeks, would you?)<\/p>\n

However, you can prepare yourself with sleep strategies to combat the potential negative side effects of time change. Here are some simple tips that you\u2019ll find to be a piece of cake compared to remembering which combination of buttons changes the time on your microwave:<\/p>\n