article

FILE photo illustration (Photo: CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images)

Transition Switching from Daylight Saving Time to standard timewhen we would trade an extra hour of sleep for less daylight.

“Stepping back” will be easier on your body than a spring time change, but it may still take some time to adjust your sleep habits; not to mention the downsides of leaving work in the dark or trying to exercise while there’s still enough light.

Some people may also have problems with seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression linked to shorter days and less sunlight, usually in the fall and winter.

Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming time change:

When do times change?

Daylight saving time in the US ends at 2 a.m. local time on November 3; This means your clock is set back one hour.

Standard time will last until March 9, when we will “move forward” again with a return to daylight saving time.

Does time change affect sleep?

Even a one-hour change in time can disrupt sleep schedules; because even if the hours change, work and school start times remain the same.

RELATING TO: Poor sleep quality linked to faster brain aging, study finds

This is a problem because many people are already sleep deprived. Nearly 1 in 3 U.S. adults sleep less than the recommended seven hours of sleep per night, and more than half of U.S. teens don’t get more than the recommended eight hours of sleep on weeknights.

Sleep deprivation is linked to heart disease, cognitive decline, obesity and many other problems.

How to prepare for a time change

Some people try to prepare for the shock of the time change by changing their bed times little by little in the days before the change. There are ways to make it easier to adjust, including getting more sunlight to help reset your circadian rhythm for healthy sleep.

MORE: New stroke prevention guidelines published by the American Stroke Association

Will the USA survive the time changes?

Some health groups, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, have said it is time to eliminate time shifts and that sticking to standard time better accommodates the sun and human biology.

Most countries do not observe daylight saving time. For those who do this (mostly in Europe and North America), the replacement date for the watches varies.

Two states – Arizona and Hawaii – do not change and remain on standard time.

Lawmakers occasionally propose getting rid of the time change altogether. The most notable recent initiative, a bipartisan bill called the Sunshine Protection Act, proposes making daylight saving time permanent. Health experts say lawmakers are backing down and standard time should be made permanent.