Adjust Your Sleep Cycle For Daylight Saving Time | Weather.com
The Weather Channel

Health

Love it or hate, daylight saving time ends this weekend. Here's how to get ready to "fall back."

ByJan Wesner ChildsMarch 5, 2024

This Drink May Hydrate You Better Than Water

Sign up for the Morning Brief email newsletter to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists.

The change to daylight saving time can wreak havoc on some people’s sleep cycles.

T​he yearly weekends that we "fall back" and "spring forward" can throw off natural body rhythms, including sleep cycles and eating schedules. That can make it hard to adjust to the new time, especially for babies and kids. Pets notice, too.

Weather in your inbox
By signing up you agree to the Terms & Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe at any time.

The spring time change messes with sleep cycles more than the fall.

GettyImages-1760687698.jpg

The sun rises behind the Empire State Building and the Hoboken Lackawanna Clock Tower on Oct. 25, 2023, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey.

(Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, or AASM, says there are some steps you can take to make the transition smoother on either end:

-Slowly adjust sleep and wake times. Shift your bedtime 15 to 20 minutes earlier each night for a few nights before springing forward, or 15 to 20 minutes later each night for a few nights before falling back.

-Shift mealtimes and other daily routines to line up with the adjusted sleep cycle before the time changes.

-Got to bed at your normal time Saturday night and shift all the clocks in your house before doing so.

-Wake up at your normal time Sunday and make sure to get plenty of sleep that night, too.

-Similar advice applies to pets, including gradually changing meal times and walk schedules.

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/home-living/daylight-savings-time-affect-dog

M​ORE ON WEATHER.COM

-Here Comes Daylight Saving Time

-Pain Sufferers Say Weather Forecasts Could Help

-​New Research Shows Links Between Eczema And Climate Change

Weather.com reporter Jan Childs covers breaking news and features related to weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.