Daylight saving time ends Sunday. Sleep experts say to start doing this Wednesday
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Despite all attempts to eliminate it, daylight saving time is set to end at 2 a.m. this Sunday , Nov. 1, at which point clocks will fall back an hour and everyone — or at least people outside of Arizona or Hawaii — will get to enjoy a bonus hour of sleep. Praise be to the calendar gods — right?
Well, according to sleep doctors and psychologists, that "extra hour" can have a sneaky way of turning into a 5 a.m. wake-up call or a 7 p.m. energy crash, with all the grogginess of jet lag fatigue and none of the travel fun to make it worthwhile.
Before you stress about the time change, remember this: falling back is the easy one. "Our circadian rhythm runs slightly longer than 24 hours, so the fall backwards with returning to Standard Time is more natural for our internal clocks and thus easier to adapt to," says Dr. Ruchir P. Patel, a sleep medicine specialist and founder of The Insomnia and Sleep Institute of Arizona .
Easier doesn't necessarily equate to effortless, though. Which is why I asked seven sleep doctors and researchers how to make the switch more painless; believe it or not, nearly all of them advised the same sleep plan to prepare for daylight saving time ending. Better yet: it's free and requires just a four night commitment. Learn more below:
â–ºRelated: Why you sleep better in hotels, according to insomnia experts (and how to copy it)
Start going to bed 15 minutes later on Wednesday
The top move according to basically every sleep expert I talked to? Don't swallow the full hour in one gulp. The TL;DR: rather than commit to a sleep schedule switch-up the night before daylight saving ends, gradually shift your bedtime and wake time to a little later each night — beginning about four days before the time change (aka Wednesday night, Oct. 28).
"Beginning approximately three or four days before Nov. 1, go to bed and wake up 15-20 minutes later each day," Patel says. "By Sunday, your circadian rhythm is already close to a new time."
As a pro procrastinator, this is a jarring ask; why not just wing it Sunday night, right? Per sleep specialists, your body — as capable as it may be — doesn't actually like (or respond well) to big routine changes.
"When we have big changes in our wake time, our bedtime or exposure to light or darkness, we can experience jet lag symptoms — even though we never get on a plane," explains Dr. Daniella Marchetti, a clinical health psychologist and Mattress Firm Sleep Advisor.
The sleep gear experts actually recommend for the time change
The above plan costs $0, but there are expert-approved sleep products you can work into your routine for even better rest. See a few below:
A 10,000-lux light therapy box
Patel says a UV-filtered 10,000-lux box has "the strongest evidence compared to anything else on the market," and he uses one for a week after international trips. Alternatively, Marchetti suggests starting at 15 minutes a day and working up to 60.
A sunrise alarm clock
This alarm clock wakes you up by gradually brightening the light, which comes in handy as winter produces darker mornings.
Blackout curtains or a good sleep mask
The key is to mitigate as many distractions as possible, including light disruptors popping up when they're not supposed to. Blackout curtains or a thick sleep mask can help curb unexpected light nuisances.
A sound machine
According to Sam Nicolino, CEO and founder of sound machine maker Adaptive Sound Technologies , sleep tends to get a little lighter after a time change, so small noises can wake you up more easily. This is where a high-quality sound machine can be a difference-maker.
Chase evening light this week, then morning light after Nov. 1
An even crazier tip that feels super counterintuitive: experts say the "get morning sun" advice is really only half correct when it comes to navigating this week's time change.
Why? Light is truly the master switch for your body clock, and when you see it matters. "Morning light shifts the internal clock earlier whereas light in the evening shifts the internal clock later," Patel says. Since falling back means we all need to shift later, late-afternoon and early-evening light is your BFF before Sunday.
"Before the change, some extra light in the early evening helps nudge your clock later," says Dr. Ales Ulishchenko, a physician and founder of MindBodyFace . In short: my post-work walk has actually been a genius sleep strategy this whole time (huzzah!).
Now, once the clocks change, flip it; mornings get brighter and evenings get darker, so it's more beneficial to start soaking up the sun early. Marchetti recommends at least 15 to 20 minutes of direct sunlight in the morning, "outside or near a window — not just lights on in the home."
Don't spend the 'extra hour' staying up
I know, I know — this one's a vibe killer. But as tempting as it may be to go a little crazier Saturday night, knowing there's an extra hour of sleep in your future come Monday, sleep researchers urge you to resist.
"When the clocks fall back, I go to bed at my usual time, by the clock," Nicolino tells 10BEST. "Most people spend the extra hour staying up, and that is what makes Monday rough."
More easy wins from the experts:
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Keep meals on a regimented schedule:"Move breakfast and dinner along with your new schedule and keep them at regular times, and avoid a heavy dinner close to bedtime," Ulishchenko says.
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Dim the lights at night:Lower lighting "helps the brain understand that sleep is coming soon and supports natural melatonin release," Marchetti says.
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Hang up your phone early:Per Dr. Lauren Hale, professor of public health and sleep researcher at Stony Brook Medicine in New York, smartphones should be kept out of reach at bedtime always, but especially when you're trying to make other disruptive changes to your sleep routine.
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