When clocks turn back an hour overnight Saturday, many Americans will feel the effects well beyond losing a little sleep. Physicians say the sudden shift in evening daylight can disrupt the body’s internal clock, suppress mood-regulating hormones, and leave people fatigued for days afterward.
Dr. John La Puma, a California physician and expert in nature-based medicine, said the abrupt change throws the body out of sync with the clock on the wall.
“When the clocks change, your body clock is still on the old time,” La Puma told Fox News Digital. “So, for about a week, you wake up an hour early. You get hungry early. You feel sleepy early. It gets dark by five. Afternoon light goes away. You get months of short days. … You need coffee just to feel human. It’s not great.”
While some research has pointed to cardiovascular benefits from the fall time change, the sudden loss of evening sunlight can suppress serotonin and melatonin production, which can contribute to a depressed mood, La Puma said.
Ease into the shift beforehand
La Puma recommends starting the adjustment before the clocks even change. Beginning Friday, people can shift bedtime, meals and wake-up time later in small steps.
“So, you move your day later in small steps,” he said. “You move your bedtime and meals the same 15 minutes each time.”
For someone who usually goes to bed at 10 p.m., that might mean 10:15 p.m. Friday and 10:30 p.m. Saturday, with wake-up times and meals shifting by similar increments.
Watch the alcohol and caffeine, especially on Halloween
Because the time change falls on Halloween this year, Dr. Saema Tahir, a sleep medicine doctor in New York City, warned against treating the extra hour as license to stay out late and drink more than usual.
“Keep alcohol moderate, finish drinking a few hours before bed and avoid caffeine after early afternoon,” Tahir 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.”
Get outside, at the right time of day
Both doctors emphasized the importance of outdoor light exposure once the time change takes effect. La Puma specifically recommends getting outside in the late afternoon.
“You want to get outside at the right minutes, at the time of day and in the right place if you can,” he said. “Late-day daylight is different than morning daylight. Late-day daylight tells your body the day is running long, and it shifts later.”
Tahir recommends getting outdoor light within an hour of waking every day through the winter months.
“Light is the strongest signal the body clock gets,” Tahir said. “Evening light pushes it later, which is the direction you need to go for ‘fall back.’ Morning light keeps it stable over the darker months and supports mood and daytime alertness.”
Build a wind-down routine
La Puma suggests adopting a relaxing bedtime ritual to signal to the body that sleep is approaching — ideas he outlines in his book, “Indoor Epidemic,” such as writing in a paper workbook, sipping chamomile tea, taking a bath or using aromatherapy.
“Very specific things that tell your brain and body, ‘I’m winding down so I can go to sleep,'” he said.
Other recommendations include limiting caffeine after noon and stopping screen use at least an hour before bed. La Puma warned that screen light can suppress melatonin, the hormone that signals it’s time to sleep, and that night mode settings may not fully prevent that effect.
Keep a consistent wake-up time
Once the clocks change, La Puma said it’s important to maintain the same wake-up time every day, including weekends.
“Pick one wake-up time and keep it every day, weekdays and weekends,” he said.
He cited an eight-year study of about 60,000 people that linked consistent sleep and wake times to a 19% lower risk of death.
“So, sleep and wake times have important effects on heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular mortality,” La Puma said.
The National Institutes of Health advises that anyone experiencing persistent trouble falling or staying asleep, frequent daytime fatigue, or sleep loss that interferes with daily life should contact a healthcare provider.
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