What the end of daylight saving time means for your sleep

If you're struggling with sleep, the end of daylight saving time could be an opportunity to start getting on top of it.

Experts say the clocks turning back an hour this Sunday at 3am in most states is good news for the tired among us.

"It's a great opportunity to get a head start on a sleep schedule," says Elise McGlashan from the University of Melbourne's John Trinder Sleep Laboratory.

"It can be hard other times of the year to shift bedtime earlier, even if we would like to."

And she says shorter days in the cooler months can create ideal conditions for healthier sleep habits.

Using end of daylight saving to get more rest

When we attempt an earlier bedtime, we may find ourselves struggling to drift off, says Dr McGlashan.

That's because we are fighting against our circadian rhythm, or internal body clock.

"Our body clock plays a big role in determining when we feel tired and … the quality of sleep overnight."

Turning back the clocks an hour can help with that, she says.

"If you want to make more time for sleep, or shift a sleep schedule early, the end of daylight saving is a good biological head start for that."

We may get an extra hour of sleep that night, but also the following evening, Dr McGlashan says it's possible we will feel tired and ready for sleep at 10pm instead of 11pm, for example.

Sleep scientist and science communicator with Central Queensland University, Vanessa Hill, says if you plan to have the same bedtime and wakeup time as during daylight saving, to gradually shift it over the course of a week.

She says the switch is a chance to do a "sleep health check-up".

"Take a moment to reflect on how your sleep has been — how do you feel during the day? Are you tired? Are there moments you might feel like a nap?"

If you're not as energised as you like, she suggests making changes, such as keeping a more consistent sleep schedule, and reducing tech time in bed where you can.

Shorter days a chance for earlier bedtimes

Less daylight is often considered bad news for sleep patterns, but that's not always the case, says Dr McGlashan.

"Certainly in countries with extreme variations that can be true, but in summertime in Australia, for some of us — especially those who do daylight savings — the Sun might not set until 9pm.

"For lots of people, and kids especially, we're not just getting more bright daytime hours, we're also having a lot of bright light leading up to bedtime."

That can be confusing for our internal body clock.

Dr McGlashan says the end of daylight saving time, and the Sun setting earlier in cooler months, means it's easier to create a dimly lit environment for the evening.

And despite the shorter days and often cloudy atmosphere in places like Victoria and Tasmania, Dr McGlashan said we should go outside to help regulate our circadian rhythm.

"Sunlight even on very cloudy days is much brighter than you will achieve with indoor lighting.

"How it will affect your body clock and mood, it is more than sufficient."

Ms Hill says a morning walk is a great way to get some natural light, but even drinking your coffee near a window can be helpful.

She says a cooler bedroom is another advantage of wintertime, as it can make it easier to fall asleep.

A healthy bedtime routine

For improved sleep more generally, Dr McGlashan says it's important to have a good bedtime routine.

That might include doing things that help us wind down and relax, such as reading a book, and keeping the room dark, quiet and a space we feel comfortable in.

"Avoid things like work or homework right up until the time you go to bed — or other things that might be stressful and require your brain to be really switched on."

Ms Hill says going to bed and waking up at the same time each day is important to do — as much as we can.

"People tend to go to bed late on the weekend, and have vastly different bedtimes to during the week.

"That can cause some people 'social jet lag'."

Dr McGlashan says "shifting our body clock" on weekends, days off and holidays, means we spend the next few days or weeks trying to catch up on "sleep debt".

Being stricter on ourselves could be key to getting the recommended seven to nine hours shut-eye each night.