A Simple Plan to Keep Your Sleep on Track When the Clock Changes

When the clocks move forward at 2 a. m. on Sunday, many people feel an immediate loss of one hour of sleep. Experts say this shift can affect health, especially if you already have trouble sleeping. A sleep specialist in Houston suggests a practical way to ease the change: move your bedtime back by 15 minutes each day during the week leading up to the switch. Doing this for one or two days can help your body adjust without a big disruption. Open the curtains in the morning to let natural light hit you—sunlight is a powerful cue for your body’s internal clock. If needed, a small dose of melatonin (3–5 mg) can help signal to your brain that it’s time to wind down. Adults need about 7–9 hours of sleep, teens 8–10, school kids 9–12, and preschoolers 10–13.The key is consistency: keep a regular sleep schedule as much as possible. Avoid caffeine starting eight hours before bedtime and steer clear of large meals, alcohol, or heavy exercise for about three hours prior to sleep. Make the bedroom quiet, dark and cool to create an ideal sleeping environment. Stress about sleep can actually make it harder to fall asleep, so focus on maintaining a steady routine instead. The debate over keeping daylight saving time permanent is ongoing, with some states favoring it and others sticking to standard time. Studies suggest that staying on standard time could reduce health issues like obesity and strokes, but the evidence is not definitive. Remember to set your clocks forward one hour at 2 a. m. on Sunday.