Don’t lose sleep over daylight saving

When does daylight saving time start?

Daylight saving time in New Zealand begins on the last Sunday of September at 2:00 a.m. when clocks spring forward one hour.

Why do we observe daylight saving time?

We probably all ask ourselves this once or twice a year. Is it really worth the following week(s) of disrupted sleep? The reasons for daylight saving are reassuringly practical.

First, the vast majority of Kiwis are in favour of the extended daylight hours: we get daylight saving because we want it!

Second, more light means more opportunities to do things, especially outside. This is good for our retail, hospitality, and tourism industries; not to mention our mental and physical well-being.

And third, our geographic location means there is a noticeable difference in the amount of sun we see in winter and summer. It’s not quite as dramatic as 30 days of night, but without the daylight saving adjustment, you could be facing a pre-5 a.m. sunrise in summer or darkness at 9 a.m. in winter. If neither option sounds particularly attractive, you can thank daylight saving for making mornings more manageable!

Why is adjusting to daylight saving time so difficult?

We’re creatures of habit. If we suddenly get an hour less sleep because the alarm says it’s six when our body knows it’s five, we’re going to feel it. We’ll probably be fatigued and cranky and might also be more prone to accidents or injury immediately after daylight saving starts. Why? Science!

The Science of Sunlight and Sleep

Light exposure has a massive influence on our sleep-wake cycles. We’re simply programmed to follow the sun, regardless of the realities of modern life.

Circadian Rhythm

All mammals have an internal biological clock that governs the sleep-wake cycle. It follows a roughly 24-hour cycle and helps regulate bodily functions including sleep, temperature, metabolism and stress response. The area of our brain that controls this rhythm responds to light, using its absence or presence to signal our bodies to fall asleep or wake up. This is our circadian rhythm.

Sleep Chemicals

The key sleep-regulating hormone is melatonin. This is produced by our brain when it gets dark, so we feel sleepy at the ‘right’ time. In contrast, light boosts serotonin, helping us feel more awake (and happier). If it’s bright at bedtime, our brain is still producing serotonin and not converting it to melatonin. This makes it much harder to obey our circadian rhythm and go to sleep: chemically we’re still too awake.

Anything that disrupts the circadian rhythm can cause us to feel tired and out of sorts. That includes travel (jet lag!), shift work, and, yes, daylight saving. If we successfully adjust, we’ll start feeling normal again. However, chronic circadian disruption can have serious consequences for our health, potentially leading to diabetes, obesity, depression, SAD, or other sleep disorders.

Daylight saving sleep tips

There’s no avoiding it, so try some of these tips to gently ease into daylight saving time and get your sleep and body clock realigned with minimal drama.

Gradually adjust bedtimes

Whether daylight saving is starting or ending, a gradual bedtime shift will help minimise the system shock. When your clocks are springing forward, try to go to bed and get up 10-15 minutes earlier each day. That should make the 6 a.m. alarm slightly less jarring on Monday!

The same applies to the little ones. If you’ve established a routine, a gradual adjustment will be far less disruptive than suddenly shifting everything by an hour. The Sleep Store has great advice for easing older babies and younger children into daylight saving, especially if you’re still managing feeds.

You might struggle to get older kids and teens to sleep earlier, but encourage them to trade the phone for a book and lie down in bed a little earlier than usual. If you manage to successfully appeal to their sense of logic and get them to sleep early, please let us know your secret!

Manage light exposure

It will be darker in the mornings for the first little while. Because light signals the brain to wake up and stop producing melatonin, be sure to switch on the lights when you get up instead of getting dressed in the dark. At bedtime, make sure your bedroom is dark (blackout curtains or blinds are a great investment) and put down the phone so melatonin can work its magic.

Control the temperature

Things are starting to warm up, and heat is the enemy of sleep. If you haven’t yet switched to lighter-weight bedding, the time is fast approaching. It’s also a good time to get heat pumps and air conditioners serviced and clean the fans for summer.

Maintain good sleep habits

Keep a consistent sleep schedule, explore relaxing bedtime rituals, and get your bedroom in order. We have more sleep hygiene hints and tips in our Sleep Guide.

If you’re getting the hygiene factors right and still not getting good sleep two or three weeks after daylight saving starts, take another look at your bed. Is it still comfortable? Is it supportive enough? Is it doing a good job keeping you cool? If the season change has also inspired you to change your mattress, try our Sleep Selector and see what we recommend to help you get better sleep.