Daylight saving time is ending and with it bad sleeping habits

Pearl Carey
Tue, 01 Nov 2022 23:44:11 +0000
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Permanent daylight saving time might soon become a reality. Credit: Dreamstime via TNS

With daylight saving time ending Nov. 6 in Ohio, students might find themselves struggling to adjust to the time change.

When daylight saving time — the process of turning clocks forward between March and November so sunset occurs later in the day, according to Time and Date — ends, it can leave impact people’s sleep schedules. As midterms and finals can already leave students feeling sleepless, finding solutions to work through poor sleeping habits is vital, Dr. Margaret Chase, a Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State sleep medicine fellow, said.

The idea of daylight saving time is heavily disputed, as Congress considers bills and resolutions to institute standard time year-round, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The 2021 Sunshine Protection Act, which would allow states that chose to move to year-round daylight time through legislation or voter approval to make the change by November 2023, passed in the U.S. Senate March 15, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. It awaits approval by the U.S. House of Representatives and a signature from President Joe Biden, according to Congress.Gov.

“Any change, really, is going to impact sleep because we’re creatures of habit,” Chase said. “Whether it’s a change in time zones or it’s daylight saving time, these all affect our sleep routine.”

Chase said adjusting one’s routine, so their circadian rhythm — an internal physical, mental and behavioral process following a 24-hour cycle — stays on track is vital considering a sizable amount of the population already does not get enough sleep.

“It’s important to use that extra hour for sleep and not for staying out later,” Chase said. “You can get into a really vicious cycle if you start doing that.”

Chase said it can be easy for people to build sleeping habits they think aren’t a big deal but do counteract good sleep.

“People often think that throwing in a nap here or there will help their overall sleep,” Chase said. “But you have to figure out a schedule you stick with, both on the weekends and weekdays.”

Room temperature can also skew circadian rhythms, Chase said, as students should keep their rooms at approximately 60 degrees.

Natural light streaming in through windows and doors can also mess with the mind’s concept of sleep, Dr. Sravya Brahmandam, a doctor at the Wexner Medical Center sleep medicine department, said.

Brahmandam said keeping a cold, dark bedroom can help with the time adjustment.

“Light can stimulate your brain, and you may not even notice,” Brahmandam said. “Nothing that changes color should be in your room while you sleep.”

For some students, the issue of falling asleep may not be as much of a concern as staying asleep, which Brahmandam said can be prevented by avoiding caffeine for 12 hours before going to sleep.

Substances, like alcohol, metabolize in the system during sleep, which can also make people wake up in the middle of the night, disrupting their schedule, Brahmandam said.

“Alcohol can initially make the body sleepy or drowsy,” Brahmandam said. “But later when it gets metabolized, it will fragment your sleep.”

Students may be tempted to stay up on their phones, especially with the extra hour of sleep, according to Dr. Lawrence Chan, a Wexner Medical Center doctor in sleep medicine. However, it can prevent the brain from falling asleep faster.

“Keeping these areas as separate as possible can help,” Chan said. “Only going to your bed when you’re ready to sleep — even if that’s in a dorm — can help.”

Students’ effort to maintain a healthy sleep schedule and figure out the root of their inability to sleep well is crucial, Brahmandam said.

“When developing a routine, it’s important to think about what keeps you awake and what helps you calm down personally,” Brahmandam said.