Want to feel better after clocks change this weekend? Here’s what sleep experts suggest – CBC
Get outside in the morning and practice good sleep hygiene
Mar 11, 2023
This weekend marks a return to daylight time for most Canadians, with clocks springing forward one hour.
For many, it also means a loss of sleep and a disruption of our circadian rhythms, our body’s natural way of keeping track of day and night.
“We have more evening light exposure and more darkness in the morning. And so fundamentally that will shift our circadian rhythm,” Dr. Elliott Lee, a sleep specialist at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, told Dr. Brian Goldman, host of CBC’s The Dose.
“It’ll make it a little bit more difficult to fall asleep the following day and results in a delay in our sleep phase over time.”
People will often struggle after the time change because of either the misalignment of our circadian rhythms or that extra hour of morning darkness, Lee said.
“If the timing of sleep is not aligned with our own circadian rhythms, then both the quality and the quantity suffer,” he added.
Getting more light later in the day can also make a difference to our sleep. But experts say making small, manageable changes to your sleeping schedule will make it easier to get some shut-eye.
