Plan on an extra bright hour of sleep as most Americans “go back” to standard time. But make sure you get outside in the early morning sun, too – it will help reset the body clock faster.
Daylight saving time ends at 2 AM local time on Sunday, which means you should set your clock back an hour before bed. Standard time will remain until March 8th when we will again “go forward” with the return of daylight saving time.
There are many returns about double time – double time. The spring transition is often difficult, losing that hour of sleep is suspected to recover in the fall. But many people mourn the final fall of daylight saving time, when the days are already short and moving the clocks can mean daylight after school or gym activity or outdoor exercise.
Some health groups, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, have long called for a regular time slot throughout the year.
New research from Stanford University agrees, finding that switching back-and-forth is the worst way for our lives. Studies have shown that sticking with the option of time can be very good, but they found a common eternal time is the best – because it is more compatible with the Sun and human biology, what is called our human regional rhythm.
“The best way to think of it is as if the central clock was like an orchestra conductor and each of its parts was a different instrument,” said Jamie Zitturle, director of the Stanford Center for Sleep and Stainform Science.
More light in the morning and less at night is the key to keeping that rhythm in the System – all the instruments in sync. When the clock is constantly disrupted by time changes or other reasons, he said, each of the body’s systems, such as the immune system or metabolism, “works less well.”
Many countries do not observe daylight saving time. For those who do – especially in North America and Europe – it’s the day the clocks change. In the US, Arizona and Hawaii do not change and stay on standard time.
Here’s what you need to know about the double year tradition.
How the body deals with light
The Brain has a Master Clock set by exposure to sunlight and darkness. This CircADIAN rhythm is a 24-hour cycle that determines when we sleep and when we are most awake. Patterns change with age, which is another reason that young children grow up to be fiery teenagers.
The morning light resets the rhythm. In the evening, levels of a hormone called melatonin begin to rise, causing drowsiness. Too much light in the evening – either from the passage of time without daylight saving time or from the light created by computer screens – delays that the cycle goes out of sync.
And it’s this side clock that goes beyond sleep, influencing things like heart rate, blood pressure, stress hormones and metabolism.
How do time changes affect sleep?
Even an hour change in the clock can throw off sleep schedules because even though the clocks change, school start times stay the same.
The transition from spring to the last hours of the day can be difficult as the dark mornings and light evenings make it difficult to fall asleep on time. Those first few days are linked to an increase in car accidents and even an increase in heart attacks.
Some people who suffer from seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression often linked to the shorter days and less sunlight of fall and winter, can struggle with it.
Most people adjust easily, just like how they recover from jet lag after traveling. But the time change can add pressure to Shift workers whose schedules are already successful in sync with the sun, or those who are always sleeping – be damned for other reasons.
About 1 in 3 US adults sleep less than the recommended nightly hours, and more than half of US teenagers do not get the recommended eight hours for two weeks.
Chronic sleep deprivation is linked to heart disease, cognitive decline, obesity and many other problems.
How to prepare for the time change
Both fall and spring, changing ideas for 15 minutes a day a day before the change can easily help it.
But sunlight in the morning is important to help reset your circadian rhythm for healthy sleep. If you can’t log out, stay with Windows.
Will the US ever be removed from the transition period?
In Congress, a bill called the Solar Protection Act that proposes making daylight saving time permanent has been a surprise in recent years.
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The Associated Press Health and Science department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Science and Educational Media Group. AP is responsible for all content.
