When do the clocks go back tonight?

Americans get a wonderful extra hour of Sleep Since most of the United States “returns” to standard time. But you should also make sure to get out for some morning sunshine – this will help you Body The clock reset rapidly.

daylight Saving Time Ending at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday and running until March 8 when we “go ahead” with a return daylight saving time.

There are many complaints due to time change twice a year. The spring switch hits hard, losing that hour of sleep we supposedly recover in the fall.

But many people also fear the end of daylight saving time, when the days are already getting shorter and the clocks changing could mean less daylight after work for school or exercise or outdoor recreation.

certain health groups, including American Medical Association And the American Academy of Sleep Medicine has long urged adopting year-round standard time.

New research from Stanford University Agree, finding that switching back and forth is the worst choice for our health. The study showed that sticking to any time option would be slightly healthier, but they found that standing standard time is slightly better – because it aligns more with the sun and human biology, which is called our circadian rhythm,

“The best way to think about it is that the central clock was like the conductor of an orchestra and each organ was a different instrument,” said Jamie Zeitzer, co-director of Stanford’s Center for Sleep and Circadianism. Science,

More light in the morning and less light at night is the key to maintaining that rhythm on time – keeping all devices in sync. When the clock is regularly disrupted by time changes or other reasons, he said every organ system of the body, such as the immune system or metabolism, “functions just a little less well.”

Most countries do not observe daylight saving time. For those who do – in most North America And Europe – The date of changing the clocks varies. in America, Arizona And Airport Do not make changes and stick to the standard time.

Here’s what to know about the twice-yearly ritual.

How the body reacts to light

The brain has a master clock that is set by exposure to sunlight and darkness. This circadian rhythm is a roughly 24-hour cycle that determines when we fall into sleep and when we are more alert. Patterns change with age, which is one reason why early risers develop into hard-to-wake teenagers.

Morning light resets the rhythm. By evening, the levels of a hormone called melatonin begin to increase, causing drowsiness. Too much light in the evening – whether from outside later during daylight savings or from artificial light like a computer screen – delays that growth and the cycle gets out of sync.

And that circadian clock affects more than sleep, also affecting things like heart rate, blood pressure, stress hormones, and metabolism.

How do time changes affect sleep?

Even a one-hour change in the clock can disrupt sleep schedules because even though the clocks change, work and school start times remain the same.

The change to daylight saving time in the spring can be a little difficult as darker mornings and lighter evenings make it harder to fall asleep on time. Those first few days have been linked to an increase in car accidents and even heart attacks.

Some people with seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression typically associated with the shorter days and less sunlight of fall and winter, may also struggle.

Many people adjust easily, like how they recover from jet lag after traveling. But the time change could add pressure to shift workers whose schedules are already out of sync with the sun, or who are regularly sleep-deprived for other reasons.

Nearly 1 in 3 American adults sleep less than the recommended seven hours a night, and more than half of American teens don’t get more than the recommended eight hours on weeknights.

Chronic lack of sleep has been linked to heart disease, cognitive decline, obesity and many other problems.

How to prepare for the time change?

In both fall and spring, shifting your bedtime by at least 15 minutes in the days before the change can help ease this.

But morning sunlight is important to help reset your circadian rhythm for healthy sleep. If you can’t go outside, sit near windows.

Will America ever get rid of time change?

In CongressA bill called the Sunshine Protection Act, which proposes making daylight saving time permanent, has stalled in recent years.