HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — Pretty soon, it's going to start getting dark in the early afternoon.
Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday local time on November 3, which means you should set your clock back an hour before you go to bed. Standard time will last until March 9, when we will again "Spring forward" with the return of daylight saving time.
"When we go through any of the time changes, it's really just offsetting your normal circadian rhythm" said Dr. Ryan Light, a family medicine physician at Tidewater Physicians Multispecialty Group.
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Dr. Light says it takes about a week to really adjust to a new schedule. To brace for it, health leaders say you might want to start adjusting your sleep patterns before the time change.
Studies from U.S traffic fatalities even show deadly car crashes jump the first few days after the springtime change. The risk is higher in the morning due to sleep deprivation.
"The best thing to do is set your alarm clock about 15 to 20 minutes earlier so you have a little bit more time to wake up before you actually get behind the wheel. If you want your morning cup of coffee as your running out the door, it may be wise to get up 10 minutes earlier to start, because it takes about 10- 15 minutes for the coffee to get from your stomach to your brain" said Dr. Light.
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Dr. Light shared a few other tips for preparing for the end of daylight saving time:
- Gradually start going to bed later: Push your bedtime 10-15 minutes later each night.
- Use light exposure: In the week leading up to Nov. 3, try to get bright light exposure in the evening, especially between 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. This can help delay your body clock slightly.
- Push dinner time back by 10 to 15 minutes each day during the adjustment week. This helps align your digestive rhythms with your new sleep schedule.
