How Daylight Saving Time Impacts Your Brain Health

The twice-yearly ritual of adjusting our clocks may seem like a minor inconvenience, but for your brain, it’s anything but trivial. When Daylight Saving Time arrives, VSI neurologist Dr. Ella Akkerman says our bodies face a surprising challenge that extends far beyond simply feeling groggy on Monday morning. Understanding how these time shifts affect your neurological health can help you prepare and protect yourself during these transitions.

Quick Tips to Ease the Transition:

• Start adjusting your wake time by 10 minutes each day, beginning four days before the time change
• Exercise on the Saturday before the transition to build resilience
• Avoid alcohol and caffeine on Friday and Saturday surrounding the change
• Get morning light exposure as soon as you wake up
• Consider taking 2mg sustained-release melatonin two to three hours before bedtime
• Adjust your coffee timing to match your body’s internal clock, not the new clock time

The Science Behind the Daylight Savings Disruption

Your brain operates on a finely tuned internal clock known as your circadian rhythm. This biological timekeeper regulates everything from when you feel sleepy to when you’re most alert, and it relies heavily on environmental cues, particularly light exposure. When we artificially shift time by even a single hour, we create what neurologists call circadian misalignment.

Here’s what happens: Your retina senses whether it’s light or dark outside and sends critical messages to your brain about when to wake up or wind down for sleep. When we change the clocks, we’re essentially sending conflicting signals. Dr. Akkerman explains it this way: “Our retina, our eyes, they sense when it’s light, and they sense when it’s dark, and they send messages to our brain to wake up or to chill out and go to sleep based on that. And so if it’s still light outside, but it’s time for you to go to bed, your brain is not gonna want to shut down.”

The result is like interference disrupting a spacecraft’s navigation system. Your brain waves, which normally flow smoothly, encounter obstacles that disrupt the delicate chemical balance responsible for everything from mood regulation to cognitive performance.

Every time we artificially adjust our circadian rhythms, we put our bodies through stress. This disruption doesn’t affect everyone equally. As Dr. Akkerman notes from her experience as both a physician and a parent, “Every time we artificially adjust our circadian rhythms, it puts our bodies through stress, and it especially is tough for the youngest and the oldest. They’re the ones who end up having the most disruption.”

What Changes in Your Brain and Body

In the week following a time change, your brain undergoes several noticeable shifts. The most common changes include alterations in mood, cognitive function, behavior, and an increased likelihood of headaches. Research has documented measurable impacts on reaction times, memory formation, and decision-making abilities immediately following DST transitions.

The spring forward shift particularly affects tasks requiring alertness and quick responses. Driving becomes riskier during this period, as your brain struggles to maintain the sharp focus necessary for safe navigation. If you’re someone who experiences migraines, you’re especially vulnerable during these transitions. The disruption to your brain’s chemical balance can trigger episodes more easily than usual.

For coffee drinkers, there’s an additional consideration. If you typically drink your coffee at the same clock time each day, the time shift means your brain is getting its caffeine dose at a different point in its circadian cycle. This timing difference can contribute to caffeine withdrawal headaches, even if you haven’t changed your consumption habits.

The Hidden Health Risks

Medical research has identified a small but significant increase in strokes and heart attacks in the days immediately following DST changes. While the absolute risk remains low, the connection appears linked to the stress, inflammation, and sleep disruption that accompanies circadian misalignment.

Your cognitive performance takes a measurable hit during this adjustment period. Studies have shown that reaction times slow, memory becomes less reliable, and the quality of your decision-making can deteriorate. These effects are temporary, but they’re real and can impact everything from workplace performance to personal safety.

How Long Does It Take to Adjust?

For most healthy adults, the brain adapts within a few days to a week. There’s a useful rule of thumb: it takes approximately one day to adjust to each hour of time difference. However, this timeline isn’t universal. Older adults often require longer adjustment periods, as their circadian systems become less flexible with age. Children may struggle with the transition as well, and people with existing sleep disorders or neurological conditions may find the adjustment period extends well beyond a week.

Preparing Your Brain for the Shift

Rather than waiting for the time change to hit you all at once, consider preparing in advance. Dr. Akkerman uses this strategy with her own children and recommends it to her patients. Starting about four days before the transition, begin adjusting your schedule in ten-minute increments. On the Thursday before a Sunday time change, delay your wake-up time by ten minutes. On Friday, push it back by twenty minutes. Continue this pattern through Saturday, and by Sunday, you’ll only need to make a half-hour adjustment rather than a full hour. If needed, add another fifteen minutes on Sunday, leaving just a final fifteen-minute adjustment for Monday.

This technique works equally well for the spring forward transition. Simply reverse the process, waking up ten minutes earlier each day leading up to the change.

The Saturday before the time change deserves special attention. This is an excellent day to engage in physical exercise. As Dr. Akkerman emphasizes, “Exercise makes your body and brain more resilient.” A good workout on Saturday can help cushion the impact of the upcoming disruption. She particularly recommends doing physical exercise before the actual time shift occurs to prepare your system for what’s ahead.

Smart Supplementation During the Transition

Melatonin can be useful during daylight saving transitions, but timing and dosage matter. For the smoothest transition, consider sustained-release melatonin taken two to three hours before your target bedtime. The two-milligram dose most closely mimics your brain’s natural melatonin production. This formulation helps you maintain sleep throughout the night rather than just fall asleep initially.

If falling asleep is your only challenge and you don’t struggle with staying asleep, immediate-release melatonin may be sufficient. However, be aware that if you only take immediate-release formulation, you might find yourself waking in the middle of the night.

Strategic Lifestyle Adjustments

In the days surrounding the time change, particularly the Friday and Saturday beforehand, avoid alcohol and caffeine. Both substances interfere with sleep quality and make your adjustment more difficult. Your brain needs all the support it can get during this transition.

For coffee drinkers, remember that the time on the clock isn’t what matters to your brain. If you normally drink coffee at 7 AM and suddenly that becomes 6 AM according to your body’s internal clock, account for this difference. You might need to adjust when you have your morning coffee to prevent afternoon crashes or evening sleep difficulties.

Extra Support during Daylight Savings

Certain individuals require special consideration during DST transitions. If you have migraines, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, or Alzheimer’s disease, the time change may affect you more significantly. The disruption to sleep patterns and circadian rhythms can potentially trigger symptoms or temporarily worsen existing conditions.

For migraine sufferers, the week following the time change represents a high-risk period. Beyond the standard preparation strategies, ensure you’re maintaining strict control over other migraine triggers. Those with epilepsy should be aware that sleep disruption can lower seizure thresholds. Maintaining medication adherence is very important during this period.

When to Seek Help

While most people adjust within a week, some symptoms warrant professional attention. If you experience persistent severe headaches, significant mood changes lasting beyond a week, extreme fatigue that doesn’t improve, or any neurological symptoms such as vision changes, numbness, or confusion, contact your healthcare provider.

If you have cardiovascular risk factors and notice chest discomfort, unusual shortness of breath, or other concerning symptoms in the days following the time change, don’t hesitate to seek medical evaluation.

Moving Forward

As Daylight Saving Time approaches, you’ll be prepared. Start your gradual adjustment several days early, exercise on Saturday, avoid alcohol and caffeine that weekend, get morning light exposure, and consider short-term melatonin support. These strategies, grounded in neuroscience, give your brain the best chance to adapt smoothly.

While one hour may seem insignificant, to your circadian system, it represents a meaningful disruption. Treat the transition with the respect it deserves, and your brain will thank you with better sleep, improved mood, sharper cognition, and a smoother adjustment overall.

If you’re experiencing persistent neurological symptoms or have concerns about how time changes affect your health, the specialists at VSI are here to help. Contact us to discuss how we can support your brain and spine health year-round.