Tips and tricks to avoid grogginess from Daylight Saving Time

BOWLING GREEN, Ky.-This weekend we look to set our clocks ahead one hour. 

“The amount of time that the sun is up in the sky changes at different points in the year,” said WKU Planetarium Coordinator Chris Chandler. 

Why do we set our clocks back or forward with Daylight Saving?

“If you don’t change your clocks, then there’s quite a bit of daylight that happens while you’re asleep in the summer. So they thought why don’t we save some of that electricity so more daylight happens when people are awake,” said Chandler. 

The one hour time change can disrupt many day to day schedules, especially for children. 

“We know that they often have slower reaction times, they have trouble paying attention, they can have increased mood instability- feeling more emotional than usual which can lead to some groggy and cranky kids,” said Norton Children’s Medical Director for Pediatric Integrated Behavioral Health Dr. Katy Hopkins. 

Some ways to combat this is by going to bed 15-20 minutes earlier, and sticking to a bedtime routine this weekend. 

Also avoid any light 1-2 hours before bedtime. you may need to invest in blackout curtains. ‘Any light’ includes light from screen time on devices! 

“If our brain thinks that it’s day time, it doesn’t release that important sleep hormone melatonin that helps us get sleepy and fall asleep at night,” said Dr. Hopkins. 

But, we may not be touching our clocks in the future.  The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill to stop Daylight Saving last year… but stalled in the House and didn’t get a vote.

“It’s probably expected that the House will probably put it on their legislative agenda and likely pass it but the idea is that if they do we won’t end up changing back in early November,” said Chandler.