Daylight Saving Time Alert! On April 4, We'll lose more than an hour of sleep, our productivity will drop, and accident rates will jump almost 10%. Here's what you can do to avoid the DST blues.
On the first Sunday each April, we set our clocks ahead an hour to allow more working light in the evening. The effect of that loss of light has on our body clocks though, can be devastating. Our body clocks depend on bright light signals to start the activity cycle each day, and when we don't get that signal we suffer. "It's like walking through wet cement," one expert explained. "You have to get up and go to work when your body clock is sending out the wrong hormones. Instead of being alert, your body wants to pull back and go to sleep. No wonder we have so many accidents the week after DST." We eventually pull out of it when we start getting enough morning light again, but that can take several weeks.
Added Evening Light Compounds DST Problems Another reason Daylight Saving Time is hard on our body clocks is because the extra evening light causes our body clocks to slow down even more. Not only do we lose an hour of morning light, but the evening light can cause our body clocks to to want to wake up two or three hours later than we need to.
Preventing DST Problems The best way to adapt to the early schedule is to use a lightbox a few days before, and at least a week after the time change to shift your body clock to the new time. If you have a lightbox, follow this schedule:
Friday, April 2: Wake up 15-20 minutes early and use the light for 1/2 hour. This will speed up your body clock and give you a lift. Saturday, April 3: Wake up an additional 30 minutes early and use the light for 1/2 to 3/4 hour. If you want to, you can go back to bed after getting the light. Sleeping in after getting the light won't adversely affect your body clock. Saturday night, remember to set your alarm clock ahead 1 hour. Sunday, April 4: Wake up at your regular (workday) wake time, and use the light for 1/2 hour. Again, if you want to, you can go back to sleep for a bit. Monday-Friday: Your body clock should be on the new schedule, but since it is now darker outside, continue to use it for 15 minutes/day. After a week, you should be able to taper off 5 minutes/day. DST is toughest on school kids Children struggle worse with DST change because they need more hours of sleep. Teenagers especially find the hour loss more difficult, because their body clocks are already overproducing melatonin. If your child struggles to get up in the morning and does poorly in his/her morning classes, his problem may be circadian related and easily treated with bright light.