Ottawa residents will ‘fall back’ one hour this weekend, marking the end of daylight saving time.
The switch to standard time occurs at 2 a.m. on Sunday, with clocks moving back one hour. The end of daylight saving time means it will get darker earlier in the evening, with sunset before 5 p.m. starting on Sunday.
The earlier sunrise and sunset can disrupt sleep routines for both children and adults.
“This one is a little bit easier to adapt to, we get that extra hour,” Andrew Holmes of Sleep Efficiency tells CTV Morning Live.
“Everybody’s circadian rhythm, it’s also known as a sleep-wake cycle, and it can actually become desynchronized during this time and actually take a day or two, sometimes even a week, to adjust. When we lose an hour in the springtime, we actually see an increase in motor vehicle accidents, we see a spike in health complications and cardiac events, medical events. Alternatively, at this time of the year when we gain the hour, we actually see the opposite start to happen.”
Holmes has five tips to help adults adjust to the time change this weekend.
Prioritize daylight exposure
Holmes recommends exposing yourself to as much sunlight as possible on Sunday.
“Light and specifically natural light is the biggest external factor that affects sleep,” Holmes said on Friday.
“When we get outside and expose ourselves to natural light, light enters the IV of the retina and it activates cells that then transmit signals to our brain that activate certain systems and that can kind of help resynchronize our sleep-wake cycle. So, on any given day, not just this weekend, getting out, exposing yourself to as much daylight as you possibly can.”
Exercise
Holmes says the biggest challenge with the switch to standard time and the loss of one hour this weekend is falling asleep on Sunday.
As you’re outside this weekend, try to get in some exercise.
“The big challenge here this weekend is going to be your ability to fall asleep Sunday night,” Holmes said. “So, getting out, exercising as much as you possibly can – that will help increase our sleep onset latency, which is our ability to fall asleep.”
Cut the caffeine
While you may be tired on Sunday with the time change, Holmes recommends not having that late day coffee or caffeine fix to help stay awake.
“Caffeine actually impacts our ability to fall asleep at night; it actually has what they call a half-life of five or six hours,” Holmes said.
“If you have a coffee later in the day, 2 or 3 o’clock in the afternoon, 50 per cent of that caffeine is going to still be in your system five or six hours later, and then 25 per cent of the caffeine is still going to be in the system two to three hours later. So the general rule of thumb and the best sleep hygiene practices would be to cut the caffeine after 2 o’clock in the afternoon at the absolute earliest, I’d say earlier on this day (Sunday).”
Stick to a sleep schedule
“Go to bed at the same time, get up at the same time,” Holmes said.
“Even this weekend, keep it the same – your body will naturally adjust after a day or two.”
Limit screen time
Holmes recommends putting down your phone and turning off the TV Sunday evening to help you get some sleep.
“As much as light as you possibly can, natural light throughout the daytime, removing screens and that ambient light in the evening, allowing melatonin to be produced and allowing you to fall asleep, hopefully, in the best way possible.”