How to Fend Off Daylight Saving Time Fatigue
If you’re having trouble with the time change, try these tips to start feeling good again
At 2 a.m. on March 10, the clocks in most states across the U.S. will shift forward 1 hour, leaving many of us feeling sleepy and out of sorts.
Some people find that irritating enough that it has galvanized a political movement to abolish the twice-yearly time changes. Since 2018, 19 states have enacted legislation or passed a resolution to provide for year-round daylight saving time (DST)—if such a change were authorized by Congress, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Arizona and Hawaii, meanwhile, are already on permanent standard time. (Globally, about 70 percent of countries have some form of daylight saving time.)
One hour of lost shut-eye isn’t the problem: Time changes can wreak havoc on our internal circadian rhythms—the natural cycles that govern a wide range of the body’s processes.
Suddenly waking up in the dark makes this situation even worse. “Light in the morning helps to set our circadian rhythms,” says Nate Watson, MD, professor of neurology at the University of Washington School of Medicine and co-director of the UW Medicine Sleep Center. It’s these disruptions to our circadian rhythms that have in recent years led leading sleep health organizations, like the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society, to endorse adopting permanent standard time.
Most people can adjust to a 1-hour time difference within a day or two, but don’t be surprised if you struggle longer.
Tips for an Easy Time Change
You will eventually adjust to the new time, of course. But small changes to your routine can help make the transition seamless. Here’s how:
- Go to bed early Saturday night—and avoid the temptation to sleep in. "If you get up at your normal time on Sunday morning, it will make it easier to fall asleep at the correct clock time Sunday night,” says Michael H. Bonnet, PhD, professor of neurology at the Wright State Boonshoft School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio. That way, you won’t lose another hour of sleep Sunday night and be even more sleep-deprived for work on Monday.
- Expose yourself to bright light as early as possible. Even if the sun’s not up when you get out of bed, get out in the sun as soon as it is. “That exposure to bright light will help nudge the body’s rhythm in the direction it needs to go,” Bonnet says.
- Skip the afternoon latte. "No coffee after 2 p.m. is a good general rule for better sleep, but it’s even more important while trying to adjust to the time change and thus getting to bed earlier,” Watson says.
- Don’t schedule early morning meetings this week. “Our brains are still half asleep, and alertness may be kicking in an hour or so later than usual until we adjust to the new time,” Krieger says.
- Take extra care on the road. Though evidence on daylight saving time and car crashes is not conclusive, it’s wise to take extra care—and to watch out for other sleepy drivers. “The spring clock change means that you’re not the only one who may be feeling less alert behind the wheel,” says Jennifer Stockburger, director of operations at CR’s Auto Test Center. “So it’s important for you not only to do all of the things that keep you most attentive but to remain particularly aware of what’s going on around you, as other drivers are likely in the same boat.”
