Survive This Weekend's 'Spring Forward'
Every year, around this time, millions of Americans collectively suffer jet lag – without packing a single bag.
Daylight saving time ("DST") begins this Sunday for most of the U.S. and Canada. When we push our clocks forward, we aren't just losing an hour of sleep, but we're also shoving our biology into a whole new time zone.
For years, we thought the biggest danger of DST was the physical shock of changing the clocks twice a year. But new research shows that the real threat is living on the wrong time for months. So today, I'll explain some of those new findings, including why a permanent standard time might be best...
Is Changing the Clock Really That Hard On Us?
In the past, studies warned us that a sharp spike in heart attacks and strokes happens right after we change the clocks. However, new science is suggesting a plot twist to that familiar tale...
For instance, a September 2025 study from Duke University School of Medicine followed almost 170,000 participants over a decade and found no significant increase in the number of heart attacks during the weeks around the time change. And that applied to daylight saving time in the spring and fall.
And then in December, a study published in the BMJ looked at the immediate, acute health effects of clock changes in nearly 684,000 participants from 2008 to 2019. Echoing what the Duke study found, University of Bristol researchers found little evidence that the "springing forward" was linked to an immediate spike in health issues.
So rather than the time change itself, as Duke researchers noted, the real danger is ongoing "extreme" problems (like getting fewer than six hours or more than nine hours of sleep). In other words, the chronic sleep deprivation is far worse for our hearts than just the single one-hour shift itself.
Because more than a third of Americans are already sleep-deprived, changing the clocks in the spring may amplify existing issues like obesity and heart disease.
What's more, the age group with the highest percentage of Americans not getting enough sleep was among those between ages 45 and 64.
According to a July 2024 study in Scientific Reports, it takes our bodies an average of eight to 12 days to get used to the end of daylight saving time in the autumn... and nine to 17 days when it begins in the spring. (Folks also typically have gentler jet lag when they're flying west to a later time zone than east into an earlier one.)
"Night owl" folks who operate best on waking and sleeping late tend to have a harder time adjusting to DST changes than the "morning larks." Naps can be a good way to cope, especially if the effects are dragging on long after the clocks change. Stick to 20-minute snoozes, tops, to avoid feeling drowsy instead of well rested upon waking.
So if you want to get through changing the clocks this week, make sure you're getting good quality sleep each night.
The Best Way to Improve Your Sleep...
Get the right type of light at the right time of day...
An October 2024 study found just how harmful bright nighttime light (and a disturbed circadian rhythm) could be to our heart and metabolic health. The study involved nearly 90,000 older adults who wore light sensors for one week to track light exposure between midnight and 6 a.m.
Over the roughly eight-year follow-up period, researchers observed 3,750 deaths from all causes and 798 deaths due to obesity or cardiometabolic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and heart attack.
The team found that participants with the brightest nighttime lighting exposure (especially in the hours just after midnight) had as high as a 34% increased risk of death from all causes and as high as a 46% increased risk of dying from cardiometabolic causes.
On the flip side, researchers linked brighter daylight exposure with a lower mortality risk... that is, 39% and 34% lower risks of cardiometabolic mortality and all-cause mortality, respectively.
Another recent study looked at the association between nighttime light pollution and one of the most feared diseases in old age...
Published in September 2024, the study's researchers used maps showing light pollution in the lower 48 states and health data related to risk factors for Alzheimer's disease.
They found that the higher the light intensity, the higher the prevalence of Alzheimer's – especially for folks younger than 65. Researchers think that too much nighttime light exposure can affect certain genes responsible for early-onset Alzheimer's.
In the Meantime, Do What I Do...
In the early evening, turn off any bright, white overhead lights and turn on a lamp using a warmer-colored, lower-intensity light.
I also like smart LED bulbs that you can program with your smartphone to automatically dim and warm in color with the sunset or before your bedtime.
As for soaking in enough daylight, you'll almost always find me going for a midday walk outside, rain or shine.
I usually go for about 20 to 30 minutes after lunch. Try to make it a daily habit, especially if you happen to be cooped up in an office for most of your day. Even when it's overcast, your retinas are still taking in natural light to keep your circadian rhythm regular.
By protecting your eyes from excessive artificial light at night and taking in plenty of natural light during the day, you'll safeguard your body's clock and your health for years to come.
Getting around eight hours of sleep a night helps reduce stress, makes you three times less likely to catch a cold, helps you maintain a healthy weight, and reduces your risk of diseases like cancer and diabetes.
As for me, I'd like to stop messing with the clocks twice a year and simply shift permanently to standard time to align with the sun... A September 2025 study from Stanford Medicine showed that staying on standard time year-round is the healthiest option because it gives us more morning light, which matches human biology. In fact, they estimated that moving to this permanent standard time could prevent roughly 300,000 strokes and 2.6 million fewer cases of obesity in America.
Let us know what your favorite sleep tips are at feedback@healthandwealthbulletin.com. For more on sleep, check out our Retirement Millionaire issue here. (Or get a trial subscription here.)
What We're Reading...
- Something different: Building an apartment complex... and unearthing a 500-year-old castle.
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
March 3, 2026