Clocks changed and your sleep is off? How to settle into the new time
It is only an hour, yet for days after the clocks change you wake too early, feel tired at odd times or cannot drop off at bedtime. Your body clock does not move as quickly as the clock on the wall. A few small steps help it catch up.
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Why one hour makes a difference
Your body clock is set mainly by light. When the clocks change, daylight arrives an hour earlier or later than you are used to, and your sleep and wake signals take a few days to catch up. Many people find the spring change, when you lose an hour, harder than the autumn one.
In the autumn, you may find yourself awake before the alarm and sleepy far too early in the evening. In the spring, bedtime comes before your body is ready, and mornings feel heavy.
In the days before
If you know your sleep is sensitive, shift your bedtime and wake time by 15 to 20 minutes a day for a few days before the change. Move meal times with them. Children and pets often do better with this gradual approach too.
After the change
- Get outside in morning light as soon as you can, even for 10 minutes
- Keep to the new wake time every day, including the weekend
- Keep evening light low and screens away for the last hour before bed
- Keep naps short, around 20 minutes, and early in the afternoon
- Go easy on caffeine and alcohol for a few days
If you wake too early or cannot drop off
Keep the lights low, avoid your phone and rest with your eyes closed. If you are wide awake after what feels like 20 minutes, get up, do something calm and go back to bed when you feel sleepy. It usually settles within a week.
When to see a GP
Most people adjust within a few days to a week. See your GP if your sleep has not recovered after a few weeks, if poor sleep has lasted 3 months or more, or if the darker months bring low mood that does not lift.
If every clock change throws you for weeks
If you dread the clocks changing because you know it will knock you for days, you are not imagining it. Some people are simply more sensitive to shifts in their body clock.
What helps is a steady bedtime signal that does not depend on the light outside. With hypnosis we help your body relax on cue at the new bedtime, and playing the same session each night helps your sleep settle into the new rhythm. Many people find they adjust more smoothly.
I am Adam Cox, a clinical hypnotherapist with 17 years in practice and post-graduate qualifications in clinical hypnotherapy. Sleep sessions are among the most listened to on my podcast, The Hypnotist, which has been downloaded more than 20 million times.
Sleep hypnosis downloads for this
Recorded sessions from my store. Download once, keep them, and play them in bed with your phone on night mode.
Questions people ask
How long does it take to adjust to the clocks changing?
Most people settle within a few days to a week. Morning light and a steady wake time help you adjust faster.
Why do I wake up so early after the clocks go back?
Your body clock is still on the old time, so it thinks it is an hour later. Keep to the new wake time and get morning light, and it will catch up.
Is the spring clock change worse for sleep?
Many people find it harder, because you lose an hour and bedtime arrives before your body feels ready.
How can I prepare for the clocks changing?
Shift your bedtime and wake time by 15 to 20 minutes a day for a few days beforehand, and move meal times with them.
Can hypnosis help me adjust to the new time?
Hypnosis is designed to help you relax and fall asleep on cue. Many people find a familiar session helps their sleep settle into a new rhythm, although results vary.
Could hypnosis help your sleep?
Take my free sleep hypnosis suitability test. Tell me what keeps you awake, try two quick hypnosis experiments and get an honest answer, with your next step.
Want help to keep your sleep steady all year?
If recordings are not enough on their own, we can work on it together. Start with a £49 consultation call over Zoom. We talk through what happens at night and whether hypnotherapy is right for you, and the fee comes off your first session. If poor sleep has lasted 3 months or more, please see your GP too.
Further reading: NHS: Insomnia · NHS Every Mind Matters: Sleep