Daylight saving time begins Sunday, March 8, at 2 a.m., and sleep experts say taking steps now can help ease the transition.
Michelle Drerup, a licensed clinical health psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic, said the springtime change is harder on the body than the fall change.
"With Spring Forward specifically, people tend to have a little bit more difficulty acclimating to it," Drerup said.
Drerup said the data show the shift can lead to an increase in cardiovascular events and accidents. Sleep disruptions can also affect mood, causing grogginess, headaches, fatigue, and increased irritability.
She said drivers should be especially cautious in the days following the change.
"We just want to be cautious if you're driving in those early mornings after the time change. Sometimes people may decide like, OK, I'm going to, you know, on on that Monday morning I'm not going to schedule anything that takes, you know, a lot more focus or high kind of, you know, attention task," Drerup said.
Drerup said preparing before the time change is key. She recommends gradually adjusting bedtime and wake time by going to bed 15 to 20 minutes earlier and waking up 15 to 20 minutes sooner. She said the gradual approach is especially important for children and teens.
"So, it's not a big hour chunk at one time," Drerup said.
Maximizing morning light exposure is also important. Drerup recommends opening the blinds and going outside for a walk to help wake up. She also advises against mid-day naps and over-caffeination.
"Which may help in that moment or for that day, but then potentially puts us at risk for having more difficulty. Falling asleep that night depending on timing of when a nap or caffeine use is occurring," Drerup said.
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