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Doctor Advises Adjusting Bedtimes to Ease Daylight Saving Time Transition
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In Short: Dr. John La Puma offers tips to help people adjust to the end of daylight saving time, including gradually shifting sleep schedules and limiting caffeine and screen time.
Dr. John La Puma, a California physician and expert in nature-based medicine, offered advice to help people adjust to the end of daylight saving time, which took effect on Sunday, November 1, at 2 a.m. La Puma emphasized the importance of gradually shifting bedtimes and meal times by 15 minutes each day to ease the transition.
La Puma cited an eight-year study involving about 60,000 people that linked consistent sleep and wake times to a 19% lower risk of death. He recommended picking a wake-up time and sticking to it every day, including weekends, to maintain a regular sleep schedule.
He also advised limiting caffeine after noon and avoiding screen time at least an hour before bedtime, as light from electronic devices can suppress melatonin, the hormone that signals it is time to sleep. La Puma suggested choosing a relaxing bedtime ritual, such as working in a paper workbook, sipping chamomile tea, taking a bath, or using aromatherapy.
For children, Dr. La Puma recommended gradually shifting their schedules by about 15 minutes a day. He also suggested setting all the clocks in the home back the night before the switch to start adjusting to the new time when waking up on Sunday.
Dr. Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, noted that the impacts of the time change can last up to seven days, potentially affecting voter turnout in the upcoming midterm elections. She recommended developing a plan to cope with the time change to reduce its impact on sleep and overall wellness.
Experts say the abrupt loss of evening sunlight can suppress serotonin and melatonin production, leading to a depressed mood. La Puma warned that alcohol and caffeine can disrupt sleep patterns, leaving people more tired than they would be without the time change.
The end of daylight saving time affects most of the U.S. And Canada, while Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe it. The time change could affect voter turnout, as it happens just two days before the midterm elections, which could flip control of the Senate and House.
Dr. La Puma suggested that people should cover up their clocks and set alarms to ensure they get enough sleep. He noted that after the time change, people may wake up an hour early, feel hungry and sleepy early, and experience shorter days, which can affect their mood and productivity.
Background
President Donald Trump urged the Senate to clear a House-passed bill to make daylight saving time permanent, calling it 'a GREAT Bipartisan WIN for the United States Senate, and for America.
Most of Arizona and Hawaii do not observe daylight saving time, while the rest of the U.S. will set clocks back an hour tonight.
What's confirmed
- With daylight saving time ending Sunday, Nov. 1, an expert is sharing ways people can ease into the change.
- Seasonal “waffling” between standard and daylight saving time has been tied specifically to a higher risk of stroke and obesity, says Jamie M.
- Here’s why, plus some tips for easing the transition.
What's still developing
- "You move your bedtime and meals the same 15 minutes each time." For someone who normally goes to bed at 10 p.m., that could mean 10:15 p.m.
- Making small adjustments to your routine after the time change could help ease the transition, the doctor said.
- "Light is the strongest signal the body clock gets," she told Fox News Digital.
- "Late-day daylight is different than morning daylight. Late-day daylight tells your body the day is running long, and it shifts later," he said.
- "So, sleep and wake times have important effects on heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular mortality," he said.
- "Alcohol makes you drowsy at first but breaks up sleep in the second half of the night. Caffeine stays in your system for hours. Together, they can leave you more tired on Sunday than you would be with no time change at all."
- "Very specific things that tell your brain and body, 'I'm winding down so I can go to sleep.'" The doctor warned that light from a phone screen can suppress melatonin, the hormone that helps signal it is time to sleep. (iStock) Other tips include limiting caffeine after noon and stopping screen time at least an hour before bedtime.
- "So, you move your day later in small steps," he advised.
- "When the clocks change, your body clock is still on the old time," he told Fox News Digital, pointing out some common effects people may notice.
- “From a sleep health perspective, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends permanent standard time because it better aligns with our natural circadian rhythms and provides more morning light, which is important for regulating sleep and wakefulness,” Feinberg told Newsweek.
- He recommends keeping a consistent bedtime and wake-up time, and putting phones away several hours before bed.
- He says families can still make those adjustments after the clocks change.