Daylight Saving Time, March 2022: Spring Forward with Confidence
Parenting PSA: Daylight Savings Time (DST) begins this Sunday, March 13th.
Spring forward is socially enforced jet lag. The clock time changes but our internal clock (circadian rhythm) does not, just like what happens with Eastward time zone travel. And this makes us feel crummy for a few days as our internal clock reprograms itself.
But losing an hour of sleep doesn’t just affect how well-rested, sleepy, or cranky we are. Sleep Scientist, Matt Walker, explains in his book “Why We Sleep,” how the semi-annual time changes have far-reaching health impacts: an increase in the rate strokes, heart attacks, and car accidents in the days following the time changes, just to name a few.
Yikes! I could go on rant now about the political and economic gains that have driven the beginning and continuation of DST, but we’re here to talk about you and your family’s sleep and well-being.
Here's a good thing about Spring Forward. For those of you with early risers, that pesky 5:00AM wake up will magically become 6:00AM on Sunday morning. We’ll talk more about that in a minute. But first…
Fortunately, with a little planning ahead, you can cruise through the time change with your littles (and you!) feeling just fine.
Here are two options for managing your child’s schedule and the time change (the proactive and the do-nothing approach):
- The Proactive Approach
- Wake your kiddo up 15 minutes earlier (and yourself too, if you have to set an alarm for work) every day starting Thursday. So if typical wake up is 7:00AM, wake them at 6:45AM.
- Then nap(s) and bedtime 15 minutes earlier as well. So if bedtime is usually 7:30PM, make it 7:15PM Thursday night.
- Keep the lights really dim for 60 minutes before bed to help with melatonin production and internal clock shifting. You may need to draw the curtains and hang in the bedroom for an hour to keep down the light exposure.
- Wake your kiddo up 15 minutes earlier, again, on Friday (so 6:30AM in this example given here). And turn on bright lights right awake. This will send the message to your child’s circadian rhythm that it should be awake now.
- Keep with the time shifting (the times will be 45 minutes earlier on Saturday) and the strategic light exposure (dimming at night and bright lights in the morning) on Saturday and Sunday as well.
- After the time springs forward an hour at 2:00AM on Sunday, you’ll be right back to the "normal" wake up times and bedtimes!
- The Do Nothing Approach
- Relish the sleeping in on Sunday. And then let the new light-dark rhythms + the social cues of school, work, daycare, etc., nudge you toward the new time come Monday. Your kiddo may be cranky for a few days but most adjust within a week.
- Some baby’s and children who are extremely sensitive to overtiredness may experience a deterioration in sleep for a couple of weeks with the do nothing approach. If you think this might be your kiddo, please consider the proactive approach instead.
What if I want my baby/kid to sleep later?
Awesome news for parents of early risers: 5:00AM will magically turn into 6:00AM on Sunday morning. 🎉 Here’s how to make it stick:
On Sunday morning, make sure you keep your kiddo’s lights off for an hour later than their typical wake up time. If they usually wake up at 5:00 or 5:15AM, keep the lights off until 6:00 or 6:15AM. The clock will be an hour later, but their body will feel like it’s their normal wake up time.
Shift all meal times, feedings, snacks times, naps (if they still exist for your little one) and bedtime one hour later.
Expose them to bright light in the evening before beginning the bedtime routine. Even better - spend sunset outside.
Keep up with this strategic light exposure and new times for two weeks, and the new schedule should gel. Wahoo!
Continue keeping the bedroom dark until it’s “time” to wake up. If you turn on the lights at 5:15AM, for example, this sends a message to the brain that the internal clock should start waking you up at 5:15. Light exposure impacts the circadian rhythm.
Got more DST questions? Let us know in the comments!
Want our Top 10 Tips for Stellar Sleep (free e-book)? Or our Sleep Needs by Age Guide? With the DST guidance above and our free guides, you and your family cruise into Spring well-rested.
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