Daylight time ends
A bill to make daylight time permanent stalled in the U.S. Congress for more than seven months before – as reported by Washington Post on November 4, 2022 – it appeared to collapse late this week. Meanwhile, another DC-based publication – The Hill – reported on November 4 that polls indicate most Americans want to abandon the twice-yearly time change. Now 2 a.m. on Sunday November 6, 2022 looms, and clocks in most U.S. states and Canadian provinces are due to be turned back one hour.
Once again, daylight time will end for many of us. It’ll begin again on Sunday, March 12, 2023.
The memory tool for your clocks is spring forward, fall back. Easy to do with clocks. Less easy – for many – with our own bodies. According to WebMD, in general, “gaining” an hour in the fall is easier than “losing” an hour in the spring. But many report feeling groggy or off kilter in the week following both the spring and fall time changes.
7 tips to help you adjust
Here are some tips that might help you adjust, mostly adapted from a November 4, 2022, post by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine:
1. Get at least seven hours of sleep (for adults) or eight hours of sleep (for teens) per night before and after the time change. You can use the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s bedtime calculator to identify an appropriate nightly bedtime.
2. Gradually adjust your sleep and wake times. Shift your bedtime 15 to 20 minutes earlier each night for a few nights before the spring time change, or 15 to 20 minutes later each night for a few nights before the fall time change. (If you are experiencing chronic insufficient sleep, you should avoid shifting your bedtime later before the fall time change; you will benefit from getting an “extra” hour of sleep on the night when you “fall back” to standard time.)
3. Adjust other daily routines — such as mealtimes — to match your new schedule prior to the time change.
4. Set your clocks to the new time on Saturday evening, and go to bed at your normal bedtime.
5. Use light and darkness to help your body adjust. In the spring, head outside for some sunlight on Sunday morning and dim the lights in the evening. In the fall, minimize light exposure until your target morning wake time.
6. Adjusting your exposure to light and darkness will help set your body clock, which regulates the timing of sleep and alertness.
7. Get plenty of sleep on Sunday night to ensure you’re rested and ready for the week ahead.
Good luck!
Bottom line: Daylight time ends on November 6, 2022. Here are 7 tips from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine to help you adjust.
The post Daylight time ends: 7 tips to help you adjust first appeared on EarthSky.
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