Why Accidents Increase After Daylight Savings Switch

Was traffic noticeably slower on your morning commute these past couple of days? If so, blame daylight saving time. The “spring forward” is believed to cause a temporary spike in traffic incidents. A 1998 Canadian study found that auto accidents may increase as much as 17 percent immediately following the time change.

Media outlets tend to report a few theories on why accidents swell after the spring time change. Each seems reasonable at first glance:

• Drivers acclimated to commuting after the sun is already out may find themselves blinded by the sunrise or driving in the dark.


• More drowsy drivers are on the road after difficulty falling asleep at the regular time due to the spring forward.


• Some people recklessly rushed to work after forgetting to reset their alarm clocks and accidently oversleeping.

The authors of the Canadian study argue drowsy driving – rather than the other two factors – is why the frequency of accidents escalates after the time change. The study found the only significant increase in accidents occurred during the afternoon commute. That finding appears to rule out an early sunrise or forgetfulness as the reason for an increase in accidents.

Last week, the Sleep Education Blog shared some tips to better brace for the time change but not everyone spends days preparing for the hour of lost sleep. The blog also reported that well-intentioned evening types may still struggle because falling asleep even slightly earlier than normal may be difficult. It may take weeks, but most of the people who fall under either category will eventually adjust and become safer drivers once again.

The “fall back” in November appears to have the opposite effect of the “spring forward”: a sudden temporary decrease in accidents, according to the study. However, that may be quickly negated by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which tends flare up with the fall time change. SAD may lead to increased daytime sleepiness, which potentially, could mean more drowsy drivers on the roadways during the winter months.

Do you find yourself nodding off at the wheel on a regular basis? You may have a sleep disorder that prevents you from getting regular restful sleep. Schedule an appointment with a clinical sleep specialist and find out if you have sleep apnea or seek treatment for insomnia.

Photo by Slinkydragon

Find Sleep as You Spring Forward for Daylight Savings

Many people greet the onset of daylight savings with mixed feelings. The unofficial end to winter is a welcome sight, but springing forward and losing an hour of sleep can be difficult.

Plan ahead and ease into the time change starting tonight and you can minimize the sleep deprivation. Try to sleep 20 minutes earlier each night until the time change on Sunday, March 13. Do the rest of your daily routines a little earlier each day. Eat dinner 20 minutes early tonight.

Fail to plan ahead and the time change may disrupt your body clock. You may feel restless at bedtime Sunday night and start your work week fatigued.

Night owls may have the most trouble springing forward. Going to bed early can be difficult for evening types. Even 20 minutes earlier than normal might not be achievable. If possible, you may want to try to keep a light schedule of activities, especially for the first few days after the time change.

The good news is, even if your sleep schedule temporarily suffers, the winter blues will start to fade. Those affected by seasonal affective disorder may start to feel more energetic as the sunlight increases and the body’s timing may get back on track.

If your sleep problems don’t go away a few weeks after the time change – or if they’ve been around for months – you may want to seek professional help. A clinical sleep specialist can help you get past insomnia using cognitive behavioral therapy.

Resist Temptation and Use the Fall Back Hour for Sleep

Sunday at 2 a.m. marks the unofficial start of winter as daylight savings time ends and standard time returns. Until the second Sunday of March, sunset will comes an hour early everywhere but Hawaii, Arizona and parts of Indiana.

Few look forward to the shorter days, but the silver lining is the extra hour of personal time that comes with the switch. Instead of extending your evening activities go to bed and enjoy the extra hour of sleep.

Spurn sleep and lengthen your Saturday nightcap and you may be sorry when Monday comes around and you return to your responsibities.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine reports sleep debt can lead to decreased productivity and increased family stress. Fall back weekend is the perfect time to chip away at accumulated sleep debt.

Set your alarm before going to bed at a normal hour, and wake up at the same time as you normally would. If you can, take it easy on Sunday and get to bed at a normal hour to get the winter off on the right foot.

A few other tips for the time change:

Early morning sunrises will make a brief and welcome return. Before they go away again consider getting a light box to simulate sunrise for a more pleasant wake-up during dark winter mornings. It’s normal to have a difficult time waking up early feeling energized when and it might as well be midnight outside. Clinical sleep specialists often recommend light boxes for treatment of insomnia or shift work disorder.

Apple iPhone users may want to use an extra alarm. Last week, countless owners of the popular smart phone overslept by a full hour because the phone’s internal clock never turned back an hour for Europe’s daylight savings. In all likelihood, Steve Jobs and AT&T won’t let that happen twice. But better to be on the safe side. Same goes with any cell phones, computers or electronic devices with an automatic internal clock.

For more information about the switch from daylight savings time, read last years coverage on the Sleep Education Blog.

Photo by rappensuncle

Daylight Saving Time: Spring Forward Tonight

Remember to turn your clocks ahead one hour tonight. For most of the U.S. daylight saving time officially begins late tonight at 2 a.m.

The AASM recommends that you set your clocks ahead one hour in the early evening. Then go to sleep at your normal bedtime. This will help prevent the loss of an hour of sleep.

Why did we ever implement daylight saving time in the first place? Last year author David Prerau shared the story of daylight saving time on NPR’s All Things Considered. He traces its roots to World War I.



Earlier this week Katie Couric reminded viewers of one benefit of daylight saving time.



The longer hours of daylight in the spring reduce the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. SAD is common during winter because there is much less sunlight than in the summer months.

Light plays an important role as a visual timing cue for your body. Sunlight signals to your brain that it is time for your body to be awake and alert.

Your brain responds by adjusting your body temperature and certain hormone levels. In general, the dark months of winter throw off your body’s timing. As a result, you are more likely to be sleepy and sluggish during daytime hours.

Regardless of the season or the time, do you struggle with an ongoing sleep problem? Get help at an AASM-accredited sleep center near you.

Daylight Saving Time: Spring Forward Before March 14

It may not feel like spring is on the way. Much of the South is still shivering after one of the coldest months in recorded history.

And people in the Northeast are recovering from winter storms that battered them with record snowfall. In fact Hawaii was the only state in the U.S. that had no trace of snow Feb. 13.

But the March 14 change to daylight saving time is almost here. It’s an early sign that spring is coming before the official first day of spring, which is March 20.

The time change can cause you to lose an hour of sleep this Saturday night. Research shows that this disruption can have a lasting effect on your sleep.

One way to reduce the negative impact of the time change is to plan ahead. You can go to bed 15 or 20 minutes earlier each night for the rest of this week. This will give your body more time to adjust.

On SleepEducation.com you can learn more from the AASM about planning ahead for daylight saving time.

Fall Back to Sleep & Standard Time

Tonight marks the end of daylight saving time. The return to standard time officially occurs at 2 a.m. Sunday morning.

This means you get an extra hour in your day. This is a great opportunity to catch up on your sleep!

To get an extra hour of sleep, you should go to bed at your normal bedtime. Then set all your clocks back an hour just before getting into bed.

Lifestyle choices, personal obligations and occupational demands can cause you to become sleep deprived. Ongoing sleep disorders or medical conditions can also cause sleep deprivation. When you are constantly getting less sleep than you need, you develop what is known as a ‘sleep debt’.

Sleep deprivation is linked with increased risk for obesity, illness and death. It can also lead to decreased alertness and performance during the day.

According to a study presented at SLEEP 2009, watching television is currently the most influential cue people use to decide when to go to bed.

Authors of the study say that people can reduce their sleep debt by watching less TV at night and going to bed earlier. You can also eliminate your sleep debt by sleeping for longer time periods each night and improving your sleep hygiene.

Sleep experts recommend that adults sleep between seven and eight hours each night.

Learn more about sleep deprivation at Sleep Education.com.

Visit an AASM-accredited sleep disorders center if you have an ongoing sleep problem.

Daylight Saving Time Begins: Spring Forward Before You Go to Sleep

For most of the U.S. daylight saving time has arrived again. Officially it begins late tonight at 2 a.m.

If you live in Hawaii or in most parts of Arizona, you get to ignore the time change. Your states already enjoy plenty of daylight.

For the rest of the country, the AASM recommends that you set your clocks ahead one hour in the early evening. Then go to sleep at your normal bedtime. This will help prevent the loss of an hour of sleep.

You can help your body prepare for the early bedtime by changing other routines during the day. Meal times are an important timing cue for your body. Eating lunch and dinner an hour earlier than normal may help adjust your body’s schedule.

Light is another important timing cue. Your body produces more melatonin as it gets dark at night. This signal lets your body know that it is time to sleep.

So be sure to avoid bright lights this evening and tonight. Close the curtains and dim the lights a little earlier than usual.

If the time change disrupts your sleep tonight, then take it easy tomorrow. It may take your body some time to adjust to the new schedule.

Be careful if you struggle with daytime sleepiness after the time change. Take precautions to avoid drowsy driving.

Begin to Spring Forward Before the March 8 Change to Daylight Saving Time

Are you planning ahead for the change to daylight saving time on Sunday, March 8? You should.

Sleep experts advise you to go to bed 15 or 20 minutes earlier each night before the time change. This will give your body time to adjust.

You may be thinking, “It’s only an hour. What’s the big deal?”

Well, the one-hour time change may affect you more than you realize. Consider these research findings:

New England Journal of Medicine: Heart attacks are significantly increased for the first three weekdays after the transition to daylight saving time in the spring. The authors suggest that the best explanation for this risk is that the time change causes sleep deprivation.

BMC Physiology: The transition in and out of daylight saving time disrupts sleep and enhances restlessness. Springing forward by an hour is more disruptive for people who are “evening types” or “night owls.” These people have a hard time falling asleep when they go to bed early. So they may be unable to compensate for the time change. As a result they may go to bed even later than normal. This can deprive them of much-needed sleep.

Current Biology: The timing of sleep on free days naturally follows the seasonal progression of dawn under standard time. The human circadian system does not adjust to daylight saving time.

Neuroscience Letters: The transition to daylight saving time reduces both sleep efficiency and sleep duration. Sleep efficiency is the percentage of time in bed that you spend sleeping.

So maybe you should ease into daylight saving time this year. Learn more from the AASM about Planning Ahead for Daylight Saving Time.

Will Jet Lag Affect this Weekend’s NFL Playoffs?

A Bloomberg.com story takes an interesting look at this weekend’s NFL playoff games. West Coast teams Arizona and San Diego both must travel to the East Coast to play. Will jet lag affect their performance? Results from this season suggest it might.

Arizona finished 9-7 to win the NFC West Division. But the Cardinals were 0-5 in games on the East Coast. San Diego finished 8-8 to win the AFC West Division. They faired a little better on the East Coast, going 1- 3. The Chargers kept their playoff hopes alive by flying east to beat Tampa Bay 41-24 on Dec. 21.

Why would jet lag affect sports teams? Quickly crossing time zones disrupts the timing of your body clock. This can upset your sleep patterns and your daytime alertness.

It’s harder to adjust when you fly from west to east. You have to convince your body to go to sleep at night, and to become alert in the morning, hours earlier than normal. This is bad news for the Cardinals and Chargers.

Playing in the Pacific time zone, the Chargers face a three-hour change when flying to the East Coast. Until November Arizona was also three hours behind Eastern Daylight Time since the state does not observe daylight saving time. But until March the state is now on Mountain Standard Time, a two-hour difference.

A study of more than 24,000 Major League Baseball games confirmed a jet-lag trend in sports. Teams with a three-hour time-zone advantage won 60 percent of the time. Teams with only a one-or-two-hour advantage won about 52 percent of the time.

So does the East-Coast advantage make the Panthers and Steelers a lock for this weekend’s games? Not so fast. The Cardinals will play their game at 8:15 p.m. EST. This may give them a slight edge.

Research suggests that athletic performance may peak in the late afternoon. Performance may decline at night as sleepiness increases.

A 1997 study in the journal Sleep analyzed Monday Night Football games from 1970 to 1994. It looked at every one of the games that had a West Coast team playing an East Coast team.

Each of these games began around 9 p.m. Eastern time. This means that games on the West Coast began at 6 p.m. Pacific time. In games played on the East Coast, the West Coast teams played at a 6 p.m. “body-clock time.”

The study found an advantage for the West Coast teams. They won about 64 percent of the games by an average of 14.7 points per game. They even won about 56 percent of the games played on the East Coast. Results remained significant even after controlling for home-field advantage and point spread.

So the “6 p.m.-alert” Cardinals will have a clear advantage over the “8 p.m.-sleepy” Panthers? Well, not quite.

Today teams have a better understanding of jet lag’s effect on performance. It’s common for them to arrive at the host city a couple days early. This gives players time to adjust to the new time zone. In effect the Cardinals may shift their body clocks closer to the East Coast time.

So how will it all pan out? Maybe each game will simply be won by the best team.