# Does anyone else's sleep pattern get messed up with Daylight Saving(s) Time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 15, 2011, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-elses-sleep-pattern-get-messed-up-with-daylight-saving-s-time/574749 "2011-03-15T05:20:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-elses-sleep-pattern-get-messed-up-with-daylight-saving-s-time/574749/1 "2011-03-15T05:20:53Z")
It’s 1:19 a.m. here and I’m wide awake. This happens every year. And then in the morning, the sun will wake me up way before I have to get up, even though I have thick curtains on the windows. I’m always so tired this time of year. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-elses-sleep-pattern-get-messed-up-with-daylight-saving-s-time/574749/2 "2011-03-15T05:24:46Z")
Nope. And I’ve never really understood this. Not being snarky, but, maybe wake up an hour early on that day so that you’re ready to go to sleep one hour earlier. Hasn’t anyone ever had mild insomnia or watched a move that kept them up an hour later? Were they really that much groggier the next day? Maybe it’s just me because I get by on way fewer hours of sleep than most. I’m seriously curious, though. Zzzzzzz… ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-elses-sleep-pattern-get-messed-up-with-daylight-saving-s-time/574749/3 "2011-03-15T05:28:23Z")
Naw. I am tired most of the time, honestly, but more to the point I’m on spring break this week so I don’t have anything to get up for this week. ---
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-elses-sleep-pattern-get-messed-up-with-daylight-saving-s-time/574749/4 "2011-03-15T05:31:12Z")
> [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](#): > > Nope. And I’ve never really understood this. Not being snarky, but, maybe wake up an hour early on that day so that you’re ready to go to sleep one hour earlier. Hasn’t anyone ever had mild insomnia or watched a move that kept them up an hour later? Were they really that much groggier the next day? Maybe it’s just me because I get by on way fewer hours of sleep than most. I’m seriously curious, though. Zzzzzzz… That kind of thing (waking up an hour earlier) has never worked for me. I’m almost always more awake at night, no matter what time I get up in the morning. Plus, the idea of making myself wake up earlier than I have to is so unappealing, no matter how good for me it might be in the long run. I’m one of those night people; I usually don’t like going to bed at night, and in the morning I don’t like getting up. And a few days after DLS, my body thinks it’s an hour earlier than the clock says it is. I do get used to it after a while. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-elses-sleep-pattern-get-messed-up-with-daylight-saving-s-time/574749/5 "2011-03-15T05:31:38Z")
If thick curtains aren’t enough, try blackout curtains. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-elses-sleep-pattern-get-messed-up-with-daylight-saving-s-time/574749/6 "2011-03-15T06:27:02Z")
Nope. But I think mild food poisoning did. I’m about as fair skinned as a person who isn’t an albino can be, but the wee hours were a reminder that even I lose color when that sick… If thicker curtains are out of the question, I suggest tacking a dark colored throw blanket over the window too. I used to have problems adjusting to the time changes too, but I don’t via this method since sun doesn’t get in at all to mess with me. ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-elses-sleep-pattern-get-messed-up-with-daylight-saving-s-time/574749/7 "2011-03-15T06:43:10Z")
No. I have never had any problem. I also travel between NL and the UK from time to time, and I never had any trouble with the 1-hour difference between the two, either. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-elses-sleep-pattern-get-messed-up-with-daylight-saving-s-time/574749/8 "2011-03-15T13:20:02Z")
Where we are, and when we wake up, the time change turns out wake-up time from “the sun is finally fully up and it’s bright outside” to “the sun is just starting to peek above the horizon and it’s dark outside”. That makes it tough to wake up without an alarm. I’ve had to get my husband up the last two days, which is very unusual. No, we don’t want to use alarms. They’re evil and traumatizing. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-elses-sleep-pattern-get-messed-up-with-daylight-saving-s-time/574749/9 "2011-03-15T13:48:10Z")
Urgh, yeah, between that and more crap with my half-brother I haven’t gotten any sleep in days and I look it. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-elses-sleep-pattern-get-messed-up-with-daylight-saving-s-time/574749/10 "2011-03-15T13:57:42Z")
Not a bit. I don’t have a set bedtime, and my wake-up time varies, too, so a one hour difference really doesn’t affect me to a noticeable extent. And I always sleep with the curtains open. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-elses-sleep-pattern-get-messed-up-with-daylight-saving-s-time/574749/11 "2011-03-15T13:59:56Z")
Yes, I’ve been wide awake when I should be sleepy, a couple hours past when I would typically drift off. This makes me want to nap during the day, I must fend that off. Doesn’t help that rain makes me sleepy and we’re in for it all day today. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-elses-sleep-pattern-get-messed-up-with-daylight-saving-s-time/574749/12 "2011-03-15T14:01:29Z")
Nope, and I don’t get it either. I don’t have a good natural rhythm of sleeping, though. I go to bed around midnight every day, my natural inclination is to sleep til 11 or 12 the next day (and feel like hell - more than 7 or 8 hours of sleep makes me really ill the whole day). I feel my best when I get up before 8, and I usually do thanks to the combined efforts of my alarm clock and boyfriend, but I never wake up naturally. So the sun setting and coming up an hour earlier makes zero difference to me. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-elses-sleep-pattern-get-messed-up-with-daylight-saving-s-time/574749/13 "2011-03-15T14:04:36Z")
Yep. I’m chronically low on sleep anyway, so this just kicks me in the butt. My brain just doesn’t usually turn off until about 12:00am. Lately, since I’m pregnant, it’s been turning off around 11:00. So, since the time change I’ve been turning off around 12:00 again. Really doesn’t matter when I get up, as long as I don’t nap past 4:00 in the afternoon, in which case I could be up all night. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-elses-sleep-pattern-get-messed-up-with-daylight-saving-s-time/574749/14 "2011-03-15T14:12:37Z")
Only to a small extent. Since I also don’t use an alarm, I was enjoying the last few weeks of easing brightness through the window as a motivator to start my day. This morning I did look at the clock with a big, “ugh”. But give me a day or two, and I’ll be just fine. I’d rather have the daylight at the end of the day anyway -when I’m awake and playful, and that gain is so worth the temporary “pain”. ---
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-elses-sleep-pattern-get-messed-up-with-daylight-saving-s-time/574749/15 "2011-03-15T14:50:18Z")
> [@kittenblue](#): > > Not a bit. I don’t have a set bedtime, and my wake-up time varies, too, so a one hour difference really doesn’t affect me to a noticeable extent. And I always sleep with the curtains open. :eek: So do you wake up when the sun comes up, or can you sleep with the curtains open? ---
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-elses-sleep-pattern-get-messed-up-with-daylight-saving-s-time/574749/16 "2011-03-15T14:53:08Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > Nope, and I don’t get it either. I don’t have a good natural rhythm of sleeping, though. I go to bed around midnight every day, my natural inclination is to sleep til 11 or 12 the next day (and feel like hell - more than 7 or 8 hours of sleep makes me really ill the whole day). I feel my best when I get up before 8, and I usually do thanks to the combined efforts of my alarm clock and boyfriend, but I never wake up naturally. So the sun setting and coming up an hour earlier makes zero difference to me. For me it’s more about the actual time/clock change than it is when the sun comes up. Yes, the sun coming up earlier generally wakes me up earlier, but it’s more that my mind or body is used to sleeping from 12:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. I’m so used to that that I’m still doing it, even though now 12:30 is 1:30 and 8:30 is now 9:30. It takes me about a week to adjust–I’ll be back to my normal soon. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-elses-sleep-pattern-get-messed-up-with-daylight-saving-s-time/574749/17 "2011-03-15T15:32:09Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > Where we are, and when we wake up, the time change turns out wake-up time from “the sun is finally fully up and it’s bright outside” to “the sun is just starting to peek above the horizon and it’s dark outside”. … Me, too. That’s why the OP has me all confused: “then in the morning, the sun will wake me up way before I have to get up, even though I have thick curtains on the windows.” Around here, the morning complaint is “it’s too dark to be getting up! waaahh!” and not, “it’s too bright out! waaah!” ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-elses-sleep-pattern-get-messed-up-with-daylight-saving-s-time/574749/18 "2011-03-15T16:28:09Z")
> [@kapri](#): > > For me it’s more about the actual time/clock change than it is when the sun comes up. Yes, the sun coming up earlier generally wakes me up earlier, but it’s more that my mind or body is used to sleeping from 12:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. I’m so used to that that I’m still doing it, even though now 12:30 is 1:30 and 8:30 is now 9:30. It takes me about a week to adjust–I’ll be back to my normal soon. Likewise. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-elses-sleep-pattern-get-messed-up-with-daylight-saving-s-time/574749/19 "2011-03-15T17:11:26Z")
Kills me, every year. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-elses-sleep-pattern-get-messed-up-with-daylight-saving-s-time/574749/20 "2011-03-15T17:19:33Z")
I absolutely hate the bizarre psychological experiment that is dst. I am a friggin zombie for a week after this nonsense every single year. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-elses-sleep-pattern-get-messed-up-with-daylight-saving-s-time/574749.md?page=2)