Daylight Savings Time and Sleep

Unless you live in Arizona or Hawaii, you may be wondering, “how does daylight savings time affect sleep patterns?” This question is especially relevant when we spring forward and lose an hour of sleep! It doesn’t sound like much, but there’s more to the story. This annual clock change disrupts our natural body clock and can leave us feeling tired and unrefreshed, and that’s not all. Medical research shows these shifts have real health impacts, including surprising statistics from peer-reviewed studies.

The daylight savings time change in spring forces an abrupt one-hour loss that misaligns your circadian rhythm, the internal 24-hour clock that controls sleep-wake cycles. This misalignment can reduce deep sleep stages and increase non-restorative sleep. Shocking medical statistics include a 24% rise in heart attacks on the Monday after the spring forward compared with other Mondays, according to a large Michigan hospital study. A nationwide Finnish study found an 8% increase in ischemic strokes in the first two days after the transition. A meta-analysis of over 115,000 patients confirmed a modest but significant rise in acute myocardial infarction risk in the week following clock changes!

Restorative sleep is the kind of deep, refreshing sleep that leaves you feeling energized and ready for the day. It occurs when your body fully repairs tissues, balances hormones, strengthens immunity, and consolidates memories. Non-restorative sleep, by contrast, is when you get enough hours but still wake up exhausted and foggy. Studies show this type of sleep impairs daytime function as much as other insomnia symptoms and affects up to one in four adults!

The ill effects of non-restorative sleep highlight why learning how to get more restorative sleep matters, especially around daylight savings time! One key step is knowing how to reset circadian rhythm through consistent habits and morning light exposure. We call this “sleep hygiene,” which is something we do daily, habitually, to help keep our body systems working.

Sleep Hygiene Checklist:

• Maintain the same bedtime and wake time every day, even on weekends. Even shift workers should follow this rule, but we could write a whole article on how to deal with shift work!
• Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet, without TV or other distractions.
• Stop using screens at least 30 minutes before bed.
• Keep lights to a more amber or red hue after sundown and keep overhead lights off.
• Exercise most days but finish at least three hours before bedtime. Morning exercise is best for circadian rhythm.
• Avoid caffeine after noon and alcohol before bed. Sorry, no nightcap!
• Use your bed only for sleep and intimacy.
• Get bright natural light exposure within one hour of waking or get a 10k lux lamp if the sun is not out when you get up.
• Wind down with a relaxing routine such as reading (a paper book), herbal tea, meditation, a hot bath, or gentle stretching. Mix and match for the ultimate sleepytime ritual!

Following this checklist can help you get more restorative sleep by reinforcing your circadian rhythm, minimizing disruptions from daylight savings time changes, and promoting the deep sleep stages your body needs to repair and recharge. Over time these habits reduce fatigue, support heart, endocrine, and brain health, and make you more resilient to time shifts and other major life stressors.

Mountain Peak Nutritionals Sleep Easy supplement offers targeted nutritional support with a blend of ingredients backed by peer-reviewed and clinical studies. Here is what research shows about key active ingredients:

Melatonin: Multiple meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials show it shortens sleep onset latency by about 7 minutes and increases total sleep time in people with primary sleep disorders, with strong evidence for helping reset circadian rhythm after disruptions like daylight savings time. Notably, there are no human studies showing that taking melatonin decreases your body’s natural output of melatonin. Because I get this question a lot from my patients, I wanted to share what I have learned from evidence, or lack thereof.

Magnesium: Systematic reviews of clinical data link adequate magnesium levels to better sleep quality, fewer night awakenings, and improved daytime functioning, especially in adults with self-reported sleep issues. Magnesium is required for more than 600 cell level processes in the human body, so it helps with a lot more than just sleep!

L-Theanine: Clinical trials and systematic reviews demonstrate it promotes relaxation without drowsiness, reduces sleep latency, and improves overall sleep quality by supporting alpha brain waves associated with calm rest. L-Theanine can also be found in green tea, which makes the caffeine in green tea more of a mellow boost than coffee.

Valerian root: Meta-analyses of placebo-controlled studies indicate it can improve subjective sleep quality and reduce time to fall asleep, making it a traditional option with documented benefits in mild insomnia.

5-HTP: Clinical studies show this serotonin precursor supports better sleep maintenance and quality by helping regulate the sleep-wake cycle, particularly when combined with other calming nutrients. Because it can boost serotonin, it must not be mixed with psychiatric medications, so be sure to check with your prescriber if you take an SSRI or MAOI.

Important: If you take SSRIs, MAOIs, or other medications, or if you have a mental health condition affected by serotonin, please do not take Sleep Easy or 5-HTP without express direction from your healthcare provider. In general, do not start any supplement without the guidance of your healthcare provider. This article is for educational purposes only and not intended to diagnose or treat any disease, and is not a replacement for a doctor-patient relationship. Always use caution and guidance when starting any new routine, nutritional change, or supplement. Thank you.

Given the temporary increase in heart attack and stroke risk documented in medical studies after daylight savings time shifts, supporting cardiovascular health is a smart complement to prioritizing restorative sleep. Mountain Peak Nutritionals Cardio Health formula delivers targeted nutritional support with Coenzyme Q-10, L-Carnitine, Hawthorn berry extract, magnesium, and essential B vitamins to optimize healthy cardiac energy production, circulation, and normal blood pressure levels. Pairing it with Sleep Easy gives you complete, natural daily support for both quality sleep and long-term heart wellness year-round.

Protect your health during daylight savings time and throughout the entire year by making restorative sleep a top priority. Put the sleep hygiene checklist into practice today so you stay energized, focused, and resilient no matter what the clock says. For extra natural support, don’t forget to check out Mountain Peak Nutritionals Sleep Easy and Heart Formula supplements. If this post helped you, please share it with friends and family who struggle with sleep after the time change!

References:

1. Sandhu A, et al. Daylight savings time and myocardial infarction. Open Heart. 2014. https://openheart.bmj.com/content/1/1/e000019
2. Manfredini R, et al. Daylight savings Time and Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6463000/
3. Roth T, et al. Nonrestorative sleep as a distinct component of insomnia. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2010. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2849783/
4. Robbins R, et al. A Nationally Representative Survey Assessing Restorative Sleep in US Adults. Sleep Health. 2022. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9423762/
5. Ferracioli-Oda E, et al. Meta-Analysis: Melatonin for the Treatment of Primary Sleep Disorders. PLoS One. 2013. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3656905/
6. Arab A, et al. The Role of Magnesium in Sleep Health: a Systematic Review of Available Literature. Biological Trace Element Research. 2023. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35184264/
7. Bent S, et al. Valerian for Sleep: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. American Journal of Medicine. 2006. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4394901/
8. Mah J, et al. Oral magnesium supplementation for insomnia in older adults: a Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies. 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33865376/
9. Klerman EB, et al. Daylight savings time and mortality-proceed with caution. Sleep. 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10881510/

Fernández-San-Martín MI, et al. Effectiveness of Valerian on insomnia: a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials. Sleep Medicine. 2010. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20347389