Falling Back: What the End of Daylight Saving Time Does to Your Sleep

In the US, clocks go back on the first Sunday of November (November 1 this year), and most people treat it as a free hour. The research is more mixed than the folklore. The extra hour is real on the clock, the sleep gain is smaller, and the week that follows is where the cost tends to show up. Here's what the data say, and where they run thin.

1. What happens on the night the clocks change

The best large dataset comes from the UK Biobank, where 11,780 adults wore accelerometers around the 2013 and 2015 clock changes. Researchers compared sleep on the Sunday of each change (midnight to midnight) with the Sunday before and the Sunday after. In autumn, mean sleep on the change day was 33 minutes longer than the Sunday before (95% CI 27 to 39) and 38 minutes longer than the Sunday after (95% CI 32 to 43). In spring, the same comparison showed about 65 minutes less.

Citation: de Lange MA, Richmond RC, Birnie K, et al. The effects of daylight saving time clock changes on accelerometer-measured sleep duration in the UK Biobank. J Sleep Res, 2024. PubMed: 39433070

So the autumn gain exists, and it's roughly half the hour on the clock. Two caveats from the authors: the comparison was between different people on different days, not the same individuals tracked over time, and the sample was older (43 to 78 years). Results may differ in younger adults with early alarms.

2. The week after: earlier wake times

The Sunday is the easy part. A small actigraphy study followed 14 healthy university students for 7 days before and 7 days after each transition. After the autumn change, their get-up time moved earlier on the clock, and time in bed and total sleep time went down. That's a small sample, and it's students, so treat it as a signal rather than a rule.

Citation: Tonetti L, Erbacci A, Fabbri M, Martoni M, Natale V. Effects of transitions into and out of daylight saving time on the quality of the sleep/wake cycle: an actigraphic study in healthy university students. Chronobiol Int, 2013. PubMed: 23998287

A review of the wider literature reaches a similar tone. It notes little evidence of a real extra hour on the night itself, and points to the cumulative effect of earlier rise times across the following days as a net loss of sleep over the week.

Citation: Harrison Y. The impact of daylight saving time on sleep and related behaviours. Sleep Med Rev, 2013. PubMed: 23477947

3. Why fall is gentler than spring, and still not free

In the students' data, sleep and wake patterns deteriorated more after the spring change than the autumn one, consistent with the body clock adjusting more easily to a later schedule than an earlier one. Falling back asks your body to shift later, which the data suggest it handles more easily. It also lands in the same week the sun sets earlier, so your evening light changes at the same moment your clock does.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine frames the larger issue as circadian misalignment. The body clock is set largely by the timing of light and darkness, and the social clock doesn't always match it. Misalignment has been associated in some studies with cardiovascular and metabolic risk, although the AASM itself notes that the chronic effects of staying on daylight saving time year-round haven't been well studied.

Citation: Rishi MA, Ahmed O, Barrantes Perez JH, et al. Daylight saving time: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement. J Clin Sleep Med, 2020. PubMed: 32844740

4. What the health-event studies show

Heart attack data get the headlines, so it's worth being precise. A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis pooled twelve studies from ten countries. The pooled relative risk of acute myocardial infarction after the spring change was 1.04 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.07). After the autumn change it was 1.02 (95% CI 0.99 to 1.05), and after removing one study with inconsistencies it was 1.00 (0.99 to 1.02). The authors describe the spring result as heterogeneous and call for better-designed analyses.

Citation: Hurst A, Morfeld P, Lewis P, Erren TC. Daylight saving time transitions and risk of heart attack. Dtsch Arztebl Int, 2024. PubMed: 38888468

A German registry of 25,499 coronary deaths and non-fatal heart attacks found no significant overall change in the 3 days or the week after either transition. In subgroup analyses, people with a prior infarction had a higher risk of re-infarction after the autumn change (relative risk 1.32 over 3 days, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.69). Subgroup findings in a registry are hypothesis-generating at best, and the authors say further work is needed.

Citation: Kirchberger I, Wolf K, Heier M, et al. Are daylight saving time transitions associated with changes in myocardial infarction incidence? Results from the German MONICA/KORA Myocardial Infarction Registry. BMC Public Health, 2015. PubMed: 26271748

One more piece of context. An analysis of thirteen earlier studies concluded that a 5 percent increase in risk is enough to explain the reported spring effects, that larger reported values are shaped by sample size, and that no increase appears for the autumn transition.

Citation: Martin-Olalla JM, Mira J. Sample size bias in the empirical assessment of the acute risks associated with daylight saving time transitions. Chronobiol Int, 2023. PubMed: 36594375

5. The standard time debate

In 2020 the AASM published a position statement favoring the end of seasonal time changes. In 2024 it updated that position, stating that permanent standard time aligns best with human circadian biology. These are consensus statements that weigh a body of evidence, not trial results, and legislative proposals have pointed toward permanent daylight saving time instead. If you're reading headlines about clock legislation, it helps to know the sleep-medicine argument rests on circadian timing, not on any single outcome study.

Citation: Rishi MA, Cheng JY, Strang AR, et al. Permanent standard time is the optimal choice for health and safety: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement. J Clin Sleep Med, 2024. PubMed: 37904574

6. A practical plan for the week

None of the studies above tested a specific coping strategy for the autumn change, so this section is practical rather than proven. The consistent thread in the literature is timing: wake time, light and routine. Pick a wake time and hold it, including the first Monday. Get outdoor light soon after waking, since the timing of light is a major cue for the body clock. Keep the evening wind-down at the same clock time you used before the change, and expect a few slightly off days.

Where Lunia fits

A clock change is one more reason a repeatable evening routine is worth having. Lunia Restore is a melatonin-free formula with magnesium bisglycinate, L-theanine and apigenin, every amount printed on the label, and it's designed to be part of a consistent nightly wind-down. No study has tested it, or any supplement, against the clock change itself, so treat it as one piece of a routine and not a fix for the transition. Individual results may vary.

Learn more about Lunia Restore

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you really get an extra hour of sleep when the clocks fall back?

Usually not a full hour. In the UK Biobank accelerometer data, sleep on the clock-change Sunday averaged about 33 minutes longer than the Sunday before (95% CI 27 to 39 minutes). A review of earlier studies found little evidence of a full extra hour on that night. The clock gives you the hour. Your habits decide how much of it you use.

Is falling back easier than springing forward?

Most of the evidence says yes. In a small actigraphy study of 14 university students, sleep quality deteriorated more after the spring change than after the autumn one. The researchers link that to the body adjusting more easily to a later schedule than an earlier one. Easier is a relative term, though, and the autumn change still shifted wake times in that study.

How long does it take to adjust after the clocks change?

The studies here followed people for about a week, so they can't give a firm answer. A review of the literature suggests adjustment is neither immediate nor trivial, and the effects of the spring change on sleep may last at least across the following week. How fast you adapt will vary with your chronotype, your schedule and how much morning light you get.

Does the autumn time change raise the risk of a heart attack?

A 2024 meta-analysis of twelve studies found a pooled relative risk of 1.02 (95% CI 0.99 to 1.05) after the autumn change, which includes no increase. After the spring change the pooled figure was 1.04 (1.02 to 1.07). A German registry of 25,499 cases found no overall change after either transition. If you have heart concerns, a clinician is the right person to ask about your own situation.

Why do sleep specialists want permanent standard time?

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine argues that standard time aligns best with the body's internal clock, which is set largely by the timing of light and darkness. That is a position statement based on a body of evidence, not the result of a single trial. Legislative proposals have also gone the other way, toward permanent daylight saving time, so this is a live policy debate.

Should I shift my bedtime before the clocks change?

No trial in the studies cited here tested that. Some people move bedtime and wake time in small steps over a few days, while others change everything on the Sunday. If you try the gradual approach, treat it as a personal experiment. Keeping a steady wake time is a commonly suggested anchor because wake time and morning light are tied to the body clock.

Is there a supplement for the time change?

None of the studies above tested a supplement for the clock change, so there is no evidence to point to either way. Sleep-supportive routines are the realistic lever: a steady wake time, morning light and a consistent wind-down. If sleep stays disrupted for weeks, a clinician can look at the bigger picture.

The Bottom Line

Falling back gives you the hour on the clock and less than that in sleep. About 33 minutes more on the change day in a large accelerometer sample, then a week of earlier wake times that small studies link to lost sleep. Heart attack data after the autumn change show no clear increase in pooled analyses, while the spring change carries the stronger signals. Hold your wake time, get morning light, and give it a week.

References

1. de Lange MA, Richmond RC, Birnie K, et al. The effects of daylight saving time clock changes on accelerometer-measured sleep duration in the UK Biobank. J Sleep Res, 2024. PubMed: 39433070
2. Tonetti L, Erbacci A, Fabbri M, Martoni M, Natale V. Effects of transitions into and out of daylight saving time on the quality of the sleep/wake cycle: an actigraphic study in healthy university students. Chronobiol Int, 2013. PubMed: 23998287
3. Harrison Y. The impact of daylight saving time on sleep and related behaviours. Sleep Med Rev, 2013. PubMed: 23477947
4. Rishi MA, Ahmed O, Barrantes Perez JH, et al. Daylight saving time: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement. J Clin Sleep Med, 2020. PubMed: 32844740
5. Hurst A, Morfeld P, Lewis P, Erren TC. Daylight saving time transitions and risk of heart attack. Dtsch Arztebl Int, 2024. PubMed: 38888468
6. Kirchberger I, Wolf K, Heier M, et al. Are daylight saving time transitions associated with changes in myocardial infarction incidence? Results from the German MONICA/KORA Myocardial Infarction Registry. BMC Public Health, 2015. PubMed: 26271748
7. Martin-Olalla JM, Mira J. Sample size bias in the empirical assessment of the acute risks associated with daylight saving time transitions. Chronobiol Int, 2023. PubMed: 36594375
8. Rishi MA, Cheng JY, Strang AR, et al. Permanent standard time is the optimal choice for health and safety: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement. J Clin Sleep Med, 2024. PubMed: 37904574

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