Halloween night may bring an extra hour of rest before the switch to standard time

Residents will gain an additional hour of sleep this weekend as the United States transitions to standard time on Sunday. The shift marks the end of daylight saving time, a practice that has operated from roughly March through November. By moving the clocks back, solar noon will return to the middle of the day rather than occurring around 1 p.m. as it does now.

Ida Lieszkovszky, a health reporter for Ideastream Public Media, discussed the timing changes with host Josh Boose. The conversation focused on how to manage the biological disruption caused by the time change. While the fall transition is generally easier for most people, it presents specific challenges for those who maintain early morning schedules.

Alicia Roth, a psychologist at Cleveland Clinic who specializes in behavioral sleep medicine, noted that daylight saving time is linked to negative health outcomes. These include sleep disruptions, a higher risk of heart attacks and strokes, and more car accidents. Roth explained that these effects are most pronounced in the spring. During that period, people lose an hour of sleep, a loss that cannot be avoided.

For the fall transition, Roth advised that early birds should stay up later than usual on Saturday night. Since the date falls on Halloween, she suggested giving children extra time for trick-or-treating or watching a scary movie. She warned that if a person who normally sleeps at 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. goes to bed early, they will likely wake up too early on Monday.

Most people require about a week to fully adjust to the clock change. Roth recommended allowing themselves grace during this period if they feel groggy or off-rhythm. The body needs time to realign its internal clock with the new schedule.

Legislators have proposed the Sunshine Protection Act to make daylight saving time permanent. That measure is currently stalled in the Senate. Sleep experts largely oppose the idea, arguing that while it prevents leaving work in the dark during winter, it results in very late sunrises.

The United States experimented with permanent daylight saving time in the 1970s. Lawmakers intended to reduce electricity costs during the Arab oil embargo, but the plan quickly became unpopular. Roth pointed to data showing an increase in children being hit by cars because it was too dark when they walked to school or waited for buses.

During that era, sunrise did not occur until 9 a.m. in many locations, including Northeast Ohio. Roth stated that this late light disrupts circadian rhythms, which rely on sunlight for proper timing. While states like Hawaii and most of Arizona have chosen to remain on standard time, federal law currently stops other states from adopting permanent daylight saving time.