As clocks march ahead and daylight saving time begins, there can be anxiety around losing an hour of sleep and how to adjust to this change.
Springing forward is usually harder that falling backward. Why?
Even though it’s technically just one hour lost due to the time change, the amount of sleep deprivation due to disrupted sleep rhythm lasts for many days and often throws people off schedule, leading to cumulative sleep loss.
Is there something to be done to help to deal with this loss of sleep and change of body clock timing?
Of course. The first step is increasing awareness and using the power of knowledge to combat this issue. Here are some quick tips to prepare yourself for the upcoming weekend.
Prioritizing sleep pays off in the short term and over the years. A good night’s sleep is a necessary ingredient for a productive and fulfilling day all year long.
Co-Director Pediatric Sleep Evaluation Center and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences

- Hiren Muzumdar
Director of the Pediatric Sleep Evaluation Center, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences
<p>[<em>Over 150,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletters to understand the world.</em> <a href=”https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-150ksignup”>Sign up today</a>.]</p>
<p>Prioritizing sleep pays off in the short term and over the years. A good night’s sleep is a necessary ingredient for a productive and fulfilling day all year long.</p>
<p><em>This is an updated version of <a href=”https://theconversation.com/11-things-you-can-do-to-adjust-to-losing-that-1-hour-of-sleep-when-daylight-saving-time-starts-112938″>an article</a> originally published on March 7, 2019.</em><!– Below is The Conversation’s page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. –><img src=”https://counter.theconversation.com/content/179154/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic” alt=”The Conversation” width=”1″ height=”1″ style=”border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important” /><!– End of code. If you don’t see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines –></p>
<p>This article is republished from <a href=”https://theconversation.com”>The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=”https://theconversation.com/11-things-you-can-do-to-adjust-to-losing-that-hour-of-sleep-when-daylight-saving-time-starts-179154″>original article</a>.</p>
11 things you can do to adjust to losing that hour of sleep when daylight saving time starts Drs. Burman and Muzumdar
As clocks march ahead and daylight saving time begins, there can be anxiety around losing an hour of sleep and how to adjust to this change.
Usually an hour seems like an insignificant amount of time, but even this minimal loss can cause problems. There can be significant health repercussions of this forcible shift in the body clock.
Springing forward is usually harder that falling backward. Why?
The natural internal body clock rhythm in people tends to be slightly longer than 24 hours, which means that every day we tend to delay our sleep schedules. Thus, “springing forward” goes against the body’s natural rhythm. It is similar to a mild case of jet lag caused by traveling east – in which you lose time and have trouble falling asleep at an earlier hour that night.
Even though it’s technically just one hour lost due to the time change, the amount of sleep deprivation due to disrupted sleep rhythm lasts for many days and often throws people off schedule, leading to cumulative sleep loss.
We lead a sleep evaluation center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and regularly see patients who are dealing with sleep loss and internal clocks that are not synchronized with external time. Our experience has shown us that it’s important to prepare, as much as possible, for the time shift that occurs every spring.
Consequences of sleep loss vary
Many studies have demonstrated that there is an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and high blood pressure associated with sleep deprivation. Workplace injuries increase and so do automobile accidents. Adolescents often find it harder to wake up in time to get to school and may have difficulties with attention and school performance or worsening of mental health problems.
Is there something to be done to help to deal with this loss of sleep and change of body clock timing?
Of course. The first step is increasing awareness and using the power of knowledge to combat this issue. Here are some quick tips to prepare yourself for the upcoming weekend.
Prioritizing sleep pays off in the short term and over the years. A good night’s sleep is a necessary ingredient for a productive and fulfilling day all year long.
Deepa Burman
Co-Director Pediatric Sleep Evaluation Center and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences
Director of the Pediatric Sleep Evaluation Center, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences
<p>[<em>Over 150,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletters to understand the world.</em> <a href=”https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-150ksignup”>Sign up today</a>.]</p>
<p>Prioritizing sleep pays off in the short term and over the years. A good night’s sleep is a necessary ingredient for a productive and fulfilling day all year long.</p>
<p><em>This is an updated version of <a href=”https://theconversation.com/11-things-you-can-do-to-adjust-to-losing-that-1-hour-of-sleep-when-daylight-saving-time-starts-112938″>an article</a> originally published on March 7, 2019.</em><!– Below is The Conversation’s page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. –><img src=”https://counter.theconversation.com/content/179154/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic” alt=”The Conversation” width=”1″ height=”1″ style=”border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important” /><!– End of code. If you don’t see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines –></p>
<p>This article is republished from <a href=”https://theconversation.com”>The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=”https://theconversation.com/11-things-you-can-do-to-adjust-to-losing-that-hour-of-sleep-when-daylight-saving-time-starts-179154″>original article</a>.</p>
The articles on Fitnesshacksforlife.org website is provided for reference purposes only, A public resource you can use for free. You should not take them as the sole source of medical direction. Fitnesshacksforlife.org does not accept payments or incentives from any of the individuals or organizations named in the articles, and the articles are not an endorsement of those parties or their products or practices. Do not ever disregard professional psychological or medical advice nor delay in any manner seeking professional advice or treatment because of something you have read on our site or social media. Fitness Hacks For Life is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, eligible to receive donations under the laws of the United States of America.