How Daylight Saving Time Negatively Affects Your Health

Whenever daylight saving time occurs, you likely don't feel your best, so it'll come as no surprise that the time change does, in fact, influence our health -- both physically and mentally. With the start of daylight saving time on March 8, we can soon expect to experience these effects. Here’s how springing forward and losing an hour of sleep can affect your body, and what to prepare for.

Daylight saving time mental health effects

One of the biggest impacts of DST is a lack of sleep, particularly when you spring ahead. When your body doesn't receive enough sleep, it impacts the frontal lobe of your brain. Think of your frontal lobe as your best friend who doesn't let you act out on impulses. Well, when you don't sleep well or receive enough of it, it impacts your frontal lobe's ability to make sound decisions. As such, you're more prone to make impulse decisions. 

Meanwhile, when you fall back in the later months of the year, your body doesn't receive as much sunlight. When this happens, your body fails to produce enough serotonin -- a mood-boosting chemical. In turn, you feel your energy sapped and you might be more susceptible to mood swings, which could put you at risk for depression. AARP found that once people set back their clocks in the fall, there was an 11% increase in depression. 

Daylight saving time physical health effects

Along with mental health, there's ample evidence suggesting that DST impacts our bodies physically as well. Let's start with your sleep cycle. In the spring, when you set your clocks ahead by 1 hour, it can throw off your body's internal clock because you go to bed later and wake up sooner than usual. This doesn't go away on its own. This can last as long as daylight saving time does. 

Changes in hormone regulation

This disruption in rhythm can manifest itself in other ways. When you change the clock for DST, it disrupts your body's rhythmic melatonin production. The reason is that your body is accustomed to producing melatonin when it becomes dark outside. If you have an earlier bedtime, but it's still light out when you go to bed, it can impact your body's ability to produce it. When your body doesn't create enough melatonin, it leads to other health issues such as sleep disorders, mood swings, increased anxiety and elevated estrogen and progesterone ratios. 

Increased risk of heart-related issues 

Because you're sleeping less due to DST, it's not uncommon to see a spike in heart-related issues right after the clock change. Research has found there's an increase in heart attacks and strokes for the first two weeks after the clock changes, with the highest risk being the first three weekdays after the switch.

Since your body doesn't sleep as much, it produces more stress. In addition, because DST disrupts circadian rhythms, it can increase heart rate, blood pressure and the production of the stress hormone cortisol. The great news is that after the first two weeks of the time change, there's less of a risk of incurring heart-related issues like strokes or heart attacks. 

Impact on metabolism and weight regulation

DST can also slow metabolism and stimulate hunger hormones such as leptin and ghrelin. The production of hunger hormones happens when your body doesn't receive adequate sleep -- think seven to nine hours per night. These hormones don't direct you to the produce aisle of your grocery store either. It can trigger high-calorie cravings, which can impede weight regulation. 

Effects of daylight saving time on productivity and daily activities

Because your body might have trouble adjusting to DST, it's not surprising to find you might experience a dip in efficiency. This is due to a lack of sleep as DST throws off your body's internal clock. In turn, Entrepreneur found an increase in cyberloafing on the Monday following daylight saving time. Because you're tired, your body spends more time focused on low-activity things, such as web surfing. 

Impact on exercise routines and physical activity levels 

DST also impacts physical activity. Because you might experience more fatigue from a lack of sleep, you're less inclined to take up more physically demanding exercises, which can improve your physical and mental health. Also, because your body might be sleep-deprived, it can produce higher levels of cortisol -- the stress hormone. High cortisol levels can result in rapid weight gain, muscle weakness and higher blood pressure. 

Changes in social interactions and relationships

The Wall Street Journal found that DST can also negatively impact our relationships. Think about when you haven't had enough sleep: you're usually more irritable, quick to react and don't listen to the people. This creates a tense situation in which you can engage in more arguments with loved ones, colleagues and friends. 

Even worse, you might draw back together. When you're tired, you're less likely to attend social events because you're already exhausted, and the mere thought of them causes more stress. 

Impact of daylight saving time on vulnerable populations 

Children and teens

Certain age groups are more affected by DST than most. Let's start with children and adolescents. Since kids must attend school early, it can result in many experiencing sleep deprivation issues when you spring forward. Their bodies aren't accustomed to it being lighter close to their bedtime. As such, they might not fall asleep when they should. When they don't receive adequate sleep, they experience grogginess, increased mood swings and an inability to concentrate. 

Meanwhile, in the fall, they also don't receive enough sunlight since they're in school for most of the day. This leads to a decrease in serotonin, making kids and adolescents more susceptible to depression. 

Older adults

Similar to kids, older adults also experience sleep disruption issues due to DST. Because of this, it's important to refrain from driving when sleep-deprived, as your frontal lobe won't process information quickly enough, leading to impulsive decisions that can increase the risk of traffic accidents. On top of this, it's also important to adhere to meal and medication times. As people get older, they might become more confused about what time it is due to changes in the outdoor environment. 

Individuals with pre-existing health conditions

Daylight saving time can exacerbate pre-existing health conditions by elevating risk factors. To demonstrate, if you have higher blood pressure, DST can impact your sleep quality. Over time, this can elevate heart rate and raise your blood pressure even more, making you more at risk for stroke. That's why if you have an underlying health condition, it's vital to consult with your physician on ways to mitigate DST's impacts. 

How to deal with daylight saving time health effects

Daylight saving time begins on Sunday, March 8, 2026, at 2 a.m. and it ends on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, at 2 a.m. Knowing this information ahead of time can help you prepare your body for the changes it will face. 

• Set a sleep schedule: On this front, as you approach adjusting your clocks ahead one hour, prepare your sleep schedule accordingly. Start by going to bed 15 to 20 minutes earlier each night. Start around a week before you set your clock forward or back.
  
• Eliminate distractions: Don't eat spicy food, drink coffee or play on your phone right before climbing into bed. Instead, take some time to relax, read a book or space out. 
  
• Adjust workouts for maximum sunshine: If you're used to taking a long walk in the afternoons in spring and summer, switch to mornings in fall and winter. Doing this allows you to receive more sunlight, boosting serotonin production. 
  
• Set mealtimes: If you were used to eating dinner at 7 p.m. before you sprang forward, keep that time. Similar to your sleeping schedule, adjust meal times by 15- to 20-minute intervals as you approach daylight saving time. 
  
• Find creative outlets: Winter is tough, as the sun isn't out much, and it's easy to feel isolated and depressed. When you can't be outside to exercise, find a creative hobby that lets you focus on something else with a goal in mind. Accomplishing goals is a great way to increase dopamine and serotonin production, which can ward off anxiety and depression.