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Why is time change not just about losing an hour of sleep?
In most regions across Canada, our clocks will suddenly advance by one hour at 2:00 a.m. on March 8th. That means if you usually wake up when your clock reads 7:00 a.m., it will in fact be 6:00 a.m. You will effectively lose an hour of sleep, but that’s only part of the story.
Artificially changing the time creates a mismatch between the timing of our internal body clock, the social clock that defines our daily life schedule and the natural cycle of the sun.
The biological clock regulates most of the body's physiological functions, forming a complex and delicate system that is synchronized predominantly by the light-dark cycle of the sun. This system maintains the proper functioning of hormone secretion, body temperature, metabolism and insulin regulation, heart rate and even gene expression, to name but a few. The synchronization of the biological clock requires light in the morning and darkness at the end of the day. Time change affects this synchronization process.
When we go into "Daylight Saving Time" in the spring, the social clock jumps earlier in one go, but the sun clock and our body clock don’t. As we change our daily schedule to the new time, our internal body clock tries to catch up with the new time of the social clock. However, because our body clock moves slowly, it can take several weeks for it to catch up.
Even when the body clock finally aligns with the social clock, this new position brings our internal biological rhythms out of sync with the sun clock. Since these biological rhythms are critical for optimizing how our brain and body function, all of this can have several ramifications for our health and wellbeing. Our mood, physical and mental performance can also be affected.
Some groups of the population may be more affected than others
Some studies show that teens and older adults can be more affected by time change. This is because the body clock undergoes considerable changes during these life periods. Time change may also have more severe impacts for people who have chronic illnesses.
Learn more about the biological clock changes during adolescence:
Sleep tips to cope with time change in the spring
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Gradually adjust your bedtime and rise time by shifting them 15-20 minutes earlier each night. Ideally start this 4 days before the date of the time change
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At the same time, adjust the timing of daily routines such as eating and exercise schedules
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Get as much light as possible in the morning starting in the week before the time change as bright light helps with advancing your biological clock
Sleep tips to cope with time change in the fall
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Gradually shift your sleep schedule
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Maintain your regular sleep, eating and exercise schedules
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With winter approaching, get as much light as possible in the morning
What if this is not enough?
These tips may not be sufficient for everyone. The more pronounced impacts of time change on people with insomnia is a reminder that it is important to seek help when our sleep gets off track. There is more information on our website and self-help tools for those battling with insomnia.