Reestablish consistent sleep patterns to adjust to daylight saving time
UT Southwestern expert on circadian rhythms warns that sleep disruptions caused by the time change can lead to health problems
DALLAS – March 13, 2023 – If you’re feeling tired this week, don’t be surprised. Moving our clocks ahead one hour to shift into daylight saving time (which occured at 2 a.m. Sunday) disrupts the body’s biological clock, affecting sleep patterns and how we function, according to a UT Southwestern Medical Center neuroscientist who researches circadian rhythms.
“It is well established that waking up an hour earlier adds to stress on our body and sleep deprivation,” said Joseph Takahashi, Ph.D., Chair and Professor of Neuroscience at UT Southwestern’s Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute. “Desynchronized body clocks are linked to health risks including heart attack, depression, and cancer.”
Dr. Takahashi, who discovered the first circadian gene in mammals in the 1990s, provides insight into how the time change can affect your health.
Does daylight saving time affect some people more than others?
Advancing our clocks in the spring has a greater effect on night owls who tend to stay awake longer and consequently wake up later. Less affected are larks, or early risers. It’s important to be aware of your chronotype and to realize that advancing your clock will be harder if you are a night owl.
Why is the time change related to a higher risk of heart attacks?
The incidence of heart attack is highest in the morning. Since waking up one hour earlier adds to stress and sleep deprivation, these might contribute to an increase in heart attack risk.
What can I do to avoid health effects from the time change?
Try to maintain a consistent sleep schedule despite the longer daylight hours. Morning light exposure (ideally outdoors) will help you to reset faster. If you are a night owl, understand that the time change is likely to affect you and prepare to feel the effects until your body adjusts.
Dr. Takahashi holds the Loyd B. Sands Distinguished Chair in Neuroscience.
About UT Southwestern Medical Center
UT Southwestern, one of the nation's premier academic medical centers, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution's faculty members have received six Nobel Prizes and include 26 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 20 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 13 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 3,100 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in more than 80 specialties to more than 120,000 hospitalized patients, more than 360,000 emergency room cases, and oversee nearly 5 million outpatient visits a year.