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November 1st, 2011
12:53 PM ET
Get Some Sleep: Fall back tipsLisa Shives, M.D., is the founder of Northshore Sleep Medicine in Evanston, Illinois. She blogs regularly on The Chart. Read more from her at Dr. Lisa Shives’ Sleep Better Blog.
But the game is over once we turn the clocks back and we start driving home from work in the dark. The clock change that is mandated by the end of daylight saving time is really the marker for many people that a change in seasons has happened. For people who live in the Northern Hemisphere, the change in autumn means more hours of darkness and colder weather, which keeps many people indoors. As a result, many feel more depressed and have more sleep disturbance as well as daytime sleepiness and fatigue. The actual change in the clock, which will occur at 2 a.m. Sunday, is a circadian shift - in the body's natural 24-hour rhythm - that is better tolerated than the clock change in the spring, especially if you follow a few simple recommendations. The change in the fall is easier to deal with than the one in the spring because, in the fall, on the Sunday night after the clock change, your body feels that it is one hour later than what the clock reads. So if you normally feel sleepy at 11 p.m., you will feel sleepy at 10 p.m. What to do? You can go ahead and go to bed. Let’s face it, most of us are sleep-deprived anyway because of scheduling too little time to sleep, so get that extra hour of sleep. Or you can force yourself to stay up until your usual bedtime. For most of us, it is relatively easy to stay up a bit later than we are used to, while it is almost impossible for most people to lie down and go to sleep if they are not sleepy. That is why the spring clock change is a bigger disruption to many people’s sleep rhythm. I actually recommend that you go to bed when you feel sleepy. It is wisdom gained from seeing thousands of patients with sleep troubles (although my grandmother would have told you the same thing). For many people, if they push themselves to stay up, they then get the proverbial second wind and end up awake for hours. Unfortunately, the alarm clock rings at the usual time, and off we are again, starting yet another week of work sleep-deprived. Of course, one reason people get a second wind is the things they do in order to stimulate themselves. For example, they work on the computer or watch TV. The light emitted from these screens signals the brain that it is time to get up and plow the field. How sleepy you feel on that Sunday night after the change depends on whether you turned your clock back before you went to bed or waited until morning. Changing the clock should be based on people’s normal sleep schedules and on whether they have sleep problems. If you feel that basically your sleep is normal, but you know that often you are not allowing yourself that good eight hours of sleep that most of us need, then set your clock back the night before and get up at your usual time. That way, you have gained an hour of sleep. If, on the other hand, you regularly get your eight hours of sleep and might not want an extra hour, don’t set the clock back the night before. If you get up at the same time you usually do, then you will have your normal amount of sleep and feel that you have gained an hour on Sunday morning when you turn the clock back. The same advice holds true if you have sleep disorders such as insomnia or delayed sleep phase syndrome. These disorders make your sleep/wake schedule rather fragile such that an extra hour might not be a good thing; rather, it could throw your schedule way out of whack. For most people, it is not the acute shift in the clock that is the problem in the fall. It is all the short, gray days ahead and the long periods of darkness. Winter conditions in the Northern Hemisphere can lead to sleep disturbance, daytime sleepiness, fatigue and depression. So as we shift into the cold, dark season, try to get as much light in the morning and throughout the day as possible, even using a light box if necessary. Also, try to keep to a regular daily exercise routine. These basic health habits can help ward off the winter blues and help you get regular sleep. The information contained on this page does not and is not intended to convey medical advice. CNN is not responsible for any actions or inaction on your part based on the information that is presented here. Please consult a physician or medical professional for personal medical advice or treatment.
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The autumn equinox has come and gone, but many of us here in the Midwest have continued to fool ourselves that it is really just late summer.
The best advice I give people, concerning sleep, is to learn to sleep like a child again. They can fall asleep anywhere, at any time, and without a care in the world. Too often, we lay down to sleep, but don't allow our brains to slow down, and the million things running through our heads end up giving us a bad night's sleep. Learn to set it aside, like a box of worries, get a good night's sleep, and then you can pick it up again in the morning (if you want). You'll soon discover that you're getting the best sleep of your life.....or, at least, your life since you left childhood behind.
True, it's thoughts that prevent us adults from falling asleep. My advice: practice paying focused attention on something like a wall clock, your breath or even recorded sounds of nature, like those offered by TranscendentalTones. The latter are even better, because you can't anticipate them, so you have to focus more. This will drive your everyday worries and thoughts out to make room for relaxation and deep, deep sleep.
Children do not care about time, Bill, except where parents poison their minds with time ideas. Do you care about time, Bill? If you do then you cannot 'learn to sleep like a child again' .Put away your time ideas and then you will not care about whether it is day or night, what season it is or what day, month or year it is.
Dont set your clock back get an extra hour every day.
go to bed on "fast" time
Huh? Who said anything about setting the clock back every day? It's one day a year.
Set it back 24 hrs once every 24 years, give yourself an extra day.
Dr. Shives,
Your article is the well-written, clear and conveys the important concepts of a topic that is not so easily explained. Thank you for a job well done.
If we adopted a better work-life balance in the USA and didn't work 12 hours at a stressful job followed by several hours of taking care of family members who should either take care of themselves or help taking care of the kids, sleep would come easier and be more refreshing. It isn't the clock that's the enemy. It's the job and the family.
I agree. We need more balance. I wish we shut down at Noon and go home to come back after a few hours like some countries 🙂
So true exhausted, I 100% agree with you and am in the same boat, and exhausted myself!
We have M-F 7-5 jobs. We set our clock back Sat. morning and spend the weekend on the "new" time. Monday is easier.
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I FEEL SNUG AS A BUG IN THE FALL GOOD TIME TO REMINISE AND LOOK BACK AT THE YEAR
Thank you for the article. Its nice to read something good and informative. Tired of gossip and political slander. Great read and very helpful 🙂
What? Honestly I found this article a total waste of time.. You can either move your clock back the night before or in the morning? Really? you need a medical degree and a national forum to tell us this?
Agree! Dumb article that says nothing concrete or useful..
Your comment is totally uncalled for. There are plenty of people out there who struggle with sleep issues who can benefit from this advice–advice they may truly know, but need to hear from another person to act upon. Please try to use the internet to spread kindness rather than venom.
For cryin' out loud, it's just an hour Kimmelin. You have to adjust more than that just flying cross-country. You talk like this crucial hour is a medical emergency. Give it some perspective. And if you don't know that a good deal of bantering is the norm in these comment sections, wait until you get a little online experience. Spread kindness... a noble thought but, yeah, right.
I agree. Dumb article. No need to plan anything for a single-hour clock change. Waste of online space.
Back in the 1960s, we changed the clocks on Sunday nights, not Saturday. If we must do this clock change nonsense, that was at least a prudent decision. People turned up at work or school too early or too late because they forgot the time change. I change the clocks before midnight on Sunday; it works for me. It might work better for some others to change it Sunday morning.
personally, could never sleep well – when i was 7 yo, i was last to fall asleep and first one to wake up. the only time when i slept like some sedated person was when i was 17-18 yo, maybe the hormone thing.
tried pills – fixes nothing, even ended up sleepwalking sometimes.
now i just don't care anymore – if i can't sleep, then i don't.
It is 4:52 a.m., and here I am; that should tell you a lot. Last night I felt a little sleepy quite early, so went to bed, not even doing my usual rituals–face-washing, teeth-brushing, etc. Also using anew iphone sleep cycle program and sound machine and focus techniques (breathing, progressive relaxation, etc.). At midnight, I broke down and took an Ambien and tossed through that until 3:30, when I just said ... well, I won't repeat what i said. I, like Al, am a lifelong insomniac and would give up a lot to sleep deeply and sweetly. AGGGHHHH!
Dee,
we are married over 36 years and never used any sleeping pills. Try this: kick your dog off the bed, turn off TV, throw away you iphone or ipad and have "quickie". There is good jazz music all nite on satellite to put you in the mood without any pills.
I am up working. But I like my job, and I love my family, and getting up early lets me get stuff done so I can spend time with them.
Here's a crazy idea, let's get rid of Daylight Savings time. I particularly don't see the need for it.
Agreed. It is an out-dated concept that has no logical place in current society.
I pray they never get rid of Daylight Saving Time. I would much rather see it apply year round.
I leave for work around 8:15 every morning and often don't get home until after 6pm. I need those few hours of light after work. I dread standard time every year.
Excuse me for getting off the subject.
Instead of talking about sleep and changing the time, I would like to know the brand name of the white clock shown on the top of the article and, if possible, where to buy it.
Except for the hands, it is quite beautiful.
I so agree.
It is the early darkness that is the problem..
But..the morning begins earlier...and I am an early bird....So I plan to do my walking in the morning as it will be almost dark when I get home for work.
If you can get some outdoor walking in while the sun is out you will not be so depressed!!
Your life will improve 150%...It is our call!!
You are right, walking or exercising during daylight instead of during evenings and night,is far more beneficial. And it wont affect the ability to fall asleep which some people suffer from when they exercise in evenings.
Changing time is silly. I have lived in places that didnt change time and it was much better (arizona, hawaii, indiana (before idiot governor daniels messed it up)). If it is such a great idea for certain businesses, let them change their work schedule as they feel the need to. It is time to question this semi-annual exercise in time-foolery and have some national debate over the whole thing.
Exactly!!!!!
The best thing to do is to get rid of this "Daylight Savings Time". It serves absolutely not one good iota of purpose and actually hinders many people who have to switch back and forth with each clock in the house, the workplace, and elsewhere. Most countries do not have this atrocity, this poor excuse to "save" time. Let's Do Away With It Already!
Avoiding caffeine before sleep helps the mind a lot in relaxing and falling asleep.
This isn't just coffee, either. This includes Coke/Pepsi, most teas, even hot chocolate since cocoa has caffeine in it.
A six-pack of beer in the evening will help.
And finally, the idiot fringe is heard from...
Someone wrote an entire article on getting an extra hour of sleep? How complicated does this have to be??
These days so many people suffer from insufficient sleep that its turning out to be a bigger health problem than cholesterol or obesity are in the developed world. So articles like these are certainly useful for many people.
And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking
And racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in the relative way, but you're older
And shorter of breath and one day closer to death
pound 12 beer and pass out.
and screw up the next day?? 🙂
Every year is getting shorter
Never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to nought
Or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desparation is the English way
The time is gone
The song is over
Thought I'd something more to say
AAAAHHHH.....................
YAWNING..............
Here is some advice. Why don't we stop changing our clocks and just leave it on daylight savings time ALL. YEAR ROUND? no other country in the world move their clock so why don't we just keep it where it is? Studies have shown that when we move our clocks forward in March people get in more accident on the first Monday after the change bc of losing that 1 hr of sleep. Well, let's just stop the change. I say keep it on DST so that it's one less thing to worry about in our lives!
Good News there are states that do that. So now, MOVE!
I agree – keep DST all year round.
However, it is NOT true that no other country moves their clocks ahead. In fact, most country have the equivalent to DST. I think only a handfull of countries – out of over 200 – do not have the equivalent of DST.
Here is an idea. Schedule your own day and quit worrying about how others schedule theirs. Just because the rest of the herd does one thing does not mean you are obligated to follow.
Actually, many countries around the world do change their clocks along with the US...
I agree. Leave the clocks alone. There is not one piece of evidence that turning a clock forward or backwards will make a person sleep better. Everyone has different sleep habits. All it does is make the power companies richer because you have to keep your lights on longer in the winter.
The only thing that solves a problem is an answer, NOT worrying at night and not sleeping. Thoughts are what race around in your mind and keep you awake, if you practice to work to clear our your mind so you can sleep it will work or your hurting yourself later in the day, believe me. It does for me at least when so much with teaching, grad school, life, retirement, the idiot who cut me off on the road, how will I pay this bill, etc. come around.
This Dr. recommends going to bed when you are sleepy. I never thought of that. She also informs us that when the time changes, we might get sleepy at 10:00 instead of 11:00, and explains why that happens. This is one sharp gal.
Forget the clocks and just fire up the bong.
Hard to sleep when you can't breath.
With a nice Kushy Indica strain of course.
I love switching time twice a year! Who the heck wants it to be dark at 7.32 PM on June 21 in New York City, rather than 8.32 PM? It's summer and therefore longer daylight to enjoy!
If you want to enjoy an extra hour of daylight each day, why not just change YOUR schedule to start and end around the actual daylight? So, in the summer, when the days are longer, you enjoy all the daylight hours you'd like.
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Only 2 states (Arizona & Hawaii) do not change clocks, which is stupid and silly. That's why it gets dark there early summertime while rest of us enjoy an additional hour of daylight. US, Canada, Europe, Northern Africa, parts of Middle East, parts of Australia and many other places switch times too !!
Get some exercise. Go to sleep when you are tired. Get up when you are done sleeping.
Nothing complicated about it. If there is something in your life that interferes with that get rid of it.
I started taking a new liquid supplement called Sleep Formula 39 that's finally helped me make it through the night. You can bet I'll be on it tonight.
Small doses of melatonin works pretty well. Like most things, too much has the opposite effect.
It must be nice. I've heard this lie for years about getting an extra hour of sleep when the clocks roll back.
I have worked graveyard and weekends for years. I never get that extra hour of sleep. Instead, I get the joy of watching the clocks roll back knowing that I have an extra hour of work... Lucky me.
OK, why is there an article on how to deal with the night being one hour longer? If you work days, you get an extra hour of sleep–what's the issue there? And for those on shift work, you get stuck working an extra hour. Hopefully you at least make up for it in the spring when the clocks go forward and you cut an hour out of your shift while the daywalker types complain about losing sleep. (Through a fluke of luck, I've only been on shift work when the clocks roll forward.)
Small problem with that. DST happens at night, not while you are working.
Dr. Shives gives me the shivers with her illogical logic.
I guess if it is always NOW then none of this hocus pocus bull about time does not really matter now, does it?
CORRECTION – I guess if it is always NOW then all of this hocus pocus bull about time does not really matter now, does it?
I was wondering if you ever creeidsond changing the structure of your site? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or 2 images. Maybe you could space it out better?
DST is a bunch of bologna.....It needs to stop.....They are throwing off everyone's internal clock , twice a year, all in the name of productivity? Lies.
I still don't understand why this useless exercise is neccessary. The Russians have come to the conclusion that we can just leave the clocks alone and everything else will follow. What is wrong with us that we cling to this archaic practice.
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I agree with those who say to get rid of DST already! We live in a world that is far different from the days when this might have been practical. We are going 24/7. This must benefit someone or something financially to keep it going, though they have adjusted it by a couple of months. I think it is more harmful to disrupt out patterns of daily living in order to supposedly "save time" somewhere. I think we would all function better in this country if we would just stop the craziness of changing time!
It's done so that you have to use more electricity in the evenings. Only the power companies benefit from it.
I totally agree with Cheryl...time to stop hitting ourselves in the head with a hammer and end this nonsense..
The joys of retirement mean the clock no longer has the same controlling influence it once did.
....yawn....
"Daylight Saving" is nonsense – we have long days in the summer and short ones in the winter. Fiddling with your clock has nothing to do with it. Before I retired I was lucky enough to work "flex hours" so I followed a solar schedule where I always went to work in the dark and came home In bright daylight. I thereby beat the traffic by 1-2 hours throughout the year. Then, when I retired I created my own custom calendar. My week now has one Sunday, six Saturdays and no clocks. I learned all this from observing my dog. She also taught me to turn around three times before going to sleep, which cured both my insomnia and apnea.
The good doctor's advice about turning off the television and computer and allowing yourself some "non-stimulation time" before bed is well-advised. If anybody takes anything away from this article, I hope that is it.
If you're having trouble sleeping, try to get in a good moderate 45 minute workout once a week with cardio and nautilus and you will sleep much better the whole week.
Or you could just try turning around three times before you lay down. Works for my dog & me.
I suppose you can say that DST is useless. Speaking of useless, is it true that cats are totally useless and stupid and ignorant? Mine are.
Daylight Savings Time is a throwback to a bygone era.
Hardly any of us are farmers any more. Our work does not revolve around the sun any longer.
We need to have DST all year round now.
.
Why do "We need to have DST all year round now", if it is from the bygone era and the farmers no longer revolve around the sun?
DST has nothing to do with farmers. Farmers have always hated it. DST came about because of the first World War, when they needed to work later in the evening in munitions plants and doing war work. Factories didn't have bright interior lighting back then, but relied on big windows and skylights to provide light. Hence the clock change. It was abolished after WWI and put back into service in WWII, then left in place after WWII for the summer so baby boomers could play outside after supper.
The best thing to do would be to change the clocks back 30 minutes and then leave them there halfway between the two.
That is a good thought. I agree witchya?
My husband puts me to sleep with his big "you know what". I suggest you sleep deprived people start doing the same... It works like a charm 🙂
where's the advice? article fail.
Here is her advice: "I actually recommend that you go to bed when you feel sleepy. .... For many people, if they push themselves to stay up, they then get the proverbial second wind and end up awake for hours"
go back and re-read (if you can) the article. She advises you to go to bed when you feel sleepy! Why is it that people have to have highlights from an article in bold printing? Today's technology just keeps making people more and more idiotic as time goes on.