Daylight saving time stirs up a lot of mixed feelings: You’ll kiss the dreary afternoon darkness and early sunsets goodbye—but you’ll also lose an hour of precious sleep when the clocks spring forward at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 8.
And this can really screw with your system for a bit. As the time changes, you’re also “shifting your natural, biological clock” (a.k.a. your circadian rhythm) with it, Kuljeet K. Gill, MD, a sleep medicine specialist at Northwestern Medicine’s Central DuPage Hospital, tells SELF. This can mess with your hormones, alertness, hunger signals, and mood, she says.
The switch to daylight saving time (DST) is even tougher on the body than the change to standard time in the fall because darker mornings and lighter evenings go against our natural circadian rhythm. “A later sunrise can make it harder for the brain and body to fully wake up and stay aligned with a healthy sleep schedule,” Angela Holliday-Bell, MD, a board-certified physician and sleep specialist, tells SELF. Research has even found that in the days following the spring clock change, hospital admissions increase for cardiovascular issues like stroke and heart attack, and the number of fatal car accidents goes up too.
It’s the reason the American Academy of Sleep Medicine has long urged Congress to do away with the seasonal changes and implement permanent standard time. And a 2025 Gallup poll suggests more than half of Americans are ready to abolish DST as well. But at the same time, fans of more sun-filled evenings have pushed for the opposite approach—the Sunshine Protection Act is a bill that would get rid of standard time and make DST permanent (though it’s been stalled since 2023). What people on both sides can agree on is that the twice yearly clock-changing does no one any favors.
We asked experts what you can do now to better adjust to this season’s upcoming time switch and feel less jet-lagged and miserable in the following week.
How to prepare for the time change
Shift your sleep schedule incrementally earlier.
For three or four days leading up to DST, Dr. Holliday-Bell recommends getting to bed and waking up 15 minutes earlier each day. (If that’s too challenging, try to get natural light first thing in the morning to feel more alert, and avoid bright lights and screens close to bedtime to doze off more easily.) These small adjustments help smooth the transition, she says. So when DST arrives, you hopefully won’t feel like you have to get out of bed a full hour earlier than usual.
Refresh your sleep hygiene.
It’s all the more important to optimize your environment and behaviors for good sleep when outside influences—like the clock change—threaten to throw you off. Consider first the temperature in your space. “Your body temperature naturally drops by about one to two degrees to support deeper sleep, so a cooler bedroom and breathable cotton sheets and pajamas can make a real difference,” Dr. Holliday-Bell says.
Other biggies: Try to avoid alcohol within three hours of your bedtime, as it can lead to shallower sleep; and steer clear of caffeine for eight hours before bed. Also, protect your evening wind-down time, Dr. Holliday-Bell adds, and again, pay attention to light exposure. The less of it you can get in the evening—that includes the blue light from screens—and the more of it you can get in the morning, the more easily you’ll adjust when the time comes.
How to manage grogginess after the time change
Stick to your usual wakeup time.
If your alarm typically goes off at 6 a.m., then be sure to get up at 6 a.m. on Monday after the time changes, even though it may still feel like 5 a.m. Why? Getting up around the same hour each morning trains your body to understand that’s when your day starts. If you slip into the habit of waking up at different times, even for a few days, your brain might get a bit frazzled and start releasing melatonin—a hormone that helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle—at weird times, which can affect both your ability to sleep well at night and stay alert during the day.
“I tend to have people focus more on wake time,” W. Christopher Winter, MD, neurologist and sleep specialist at Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine, tells SELF. “If your wake time stays consistent, your bedtime eventually sorts itself out.” Just do your best to log a sufficient amount of sleep as your body adjusts—ideally at least seven hours a night.
And if you’re tempted to “rest your eyes” in the afternoons, heed this warning from Dr. Gill: “No naps.” Otherwise, you might have trouble drifting off later, which will only keep your sleep schedule messed up for longer.
Bask in some morning light.
Make an extra effort to get a strong dose of sunlight after you wake up on the days following the time change too. It’s one of the best things you can do to stabilize your circadian rhythm, as it “stimulates your brain and shuts off melatonin production,” Dr. Gill explains. “That’s a signal that it’s time to get up,” since melatonin’s job is to make you feel drowsy.
You don’t need to park yourself in front of a window and watch the birds flutter by (though, if you have some time and enjoy that, more power to you). Throw open all the shades in your home, or enjoy your coffee outside if you have a porch, backyard, or balcony. If you have to get up while it’s still dark out, at least flip on a bright lamp as you get ready. Then, Dr. Gill recommends doing your best to soak in some natural light—which breaks through even when it’s overcast—once your day is in full swing.
Move your body a little bit.
If you’re really wiped out, don’t force it. But even some gentle movement can help you feel less sluggish. That’s because exercise suppresses lingering melatonin, Dr. Gill says. It also jacks up feel-good hormones. “Physical activity boosts dopamine, so taking a short walk outside, even just five minutes, will help to dispel morning grogginess and increase alertness,” Fiona Barwick, PhD, director of the Sleep & Circadian Health Program at Stanford University, previously told SELF.
Or if you’re used to doing a more intense routine after you get up, cut it down to 20–30 minutes; you’ll still reap some physical and mental benefits from shorter bursts of movement. (Check out our practical guide to morning workouts for more tips.)
All of this is to say: You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to make this transition easier. Just remember that you’ve been through this before—and you’ll find your groove again quickly. As Dr. Winter notes, most people get used to the time change within a week.
Related:
- 6 Little Things Sleep Doctors Actually Do Every Day for Better Shut-Eye
- This Daily Habit Could Be Slowly Shortening Your Life
- I’m a Sleep Specialist. Here’s the Bedtime Habit I Swear By for Better Rest
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