Nov 3, 2018 3 min read

It’s time to fall back.

Daylight savings time officially ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, and people across the country gain an extra hour of sleep.

It turns out, most Americans can use it.

“As a nation, we are sleep deprived, and probably significantly so. By all measures, we probably sleep less than six hours a night on average,” said Dr. Euhan John Lee at Allegheny Health Network’s Canonsburg Hospital Pulmonary Clinic and Sleep Lab.

Seven or eight hours is recommended, but many people need as little as five hours while others require as many as 11 or 12 hours of sleep nightly.

While losing an hour of sleep in the spring – when daylight savings time begins – has more impact on a person’s sleep pattern than “falling back,” setting the clock back an hour can have a subtle impact, Dr. Lee said.

“We do gain an hour of sleep, but at a cost. We have less light exposure during the day because our day ends a little earlier,” said Dr. Lee.

Exposure to light earlier in the day improves sleep at night.

Typically, the rule of thumb is a person needs at least one day to adapt for every hour of clock change or time zone change.

So, a traveler flying to France, which is six hours ahead of Pittsburgh, would take about six or seven hours to accommodate to the time change.

One of the biggest factors contributing to lack of sleep, Dr. Lee said, is technology.

“The biggest thing these days is just the 24 hour nature of life. With technology, social media, smart phones, televisions, you name it, we’re on a 24-hour cycle now,” said Dr. Lee. “Most of us never shut off our phones now. They’re always right next to us. That, in and of itself, does not promote good sleep.”

Dr. Lee suggests reducing or eliminating watching television in bed, since exposure to bright light and stimulation affects the ability to go to sleep.

Stress also affects a person’s ability to sleep.

Said Dr. Lee, “There is a lot of stress in this day and age. There just seems to be something different these days where people are just more stressed about things. It makes it harder to sleep, but it actually highlights how important it is to get rest to allow yourself the best rest for your mind.”

Cutting back on caffeine also can improve sleep. While drinking coffee or other items that contain caffeine can help with alertness while working, driving at night, or performing other tasks, it is not a substitute for sleep.

Dr. Lee suggested people make an effort to get enough sleep.

“For most of us, the biggest reason we don’t get enough sleep is we just don’t give ourselves enough opportunity. We just go to bed late and wake up early,” said Dr. Lee.

Why is it important to get enough sleep?

Studies show poor physical and mental health is associated with lack of sleep.

In some cases, poor sleep reveals an underlying sleep disorder that could require treatment.

“Getting enough sleep isn’t easy. Just like everyone else, I probably don’t get enough sleep,” said Dr. Lee. “We could all do a better job sleeping, but it’s easier said than done.”