Transition to Standard Time Tied to Short-Term Increase in Sleep Disorders

No difference observed in dissatisfaction with sleep, sleep-onset insomnia, sleep-maintenance insomnia, and hypersomnolence in different seasons

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, May 4, 2023 (HealthDay News) — The transition from daylight saving time (DST) to standard time (ST) is associated with a transient increase in sleep disorders, according to a study published online May 3 in Neurology.

Sheida Zolfaghari, M.D., from McGill University in Montreal, and colleagues compared sleep symptoms among 30,097 participants aged 45 to 85 years who were interviewed in different seasons and before and after the transition into DST and ST.

The researchers observed no difference in dissatisfaction with sleep, sleep onset, sleep maintenance, and hypersomnolence for participants interviewed in different seasons. Slightly shorter sleep duration was reported by those interviewed in summer versus winter (6.76 ± 1.2 versus 6.84 ± 1.3 hours). No difference in sleep symptoms was reported for participants interviewed one week before versus one week after DST transition, except for a nine-minute decrease in sleep duration a week after transition. Those interviewed a week after versus a week before transition to ST reported more dissatisfaction with sleep (28 versus 22.6 percent), higher sleep-onset insomnia (7.1 versus 3.3 percent), higher sleep-maintenance insomnia (12.9 versus 8.2 percent), and more hypersomnolence with adequate sleep (7.3 versus 3.6 percent; adjusted odds ratios, 1.34, 2.26, 1.64, and 2.08, respectively).

“As disruptive as these transitions may feel in the short term, there may be few long-term implications of the repeated switch back and forth from daylight saving time to standard time,” a coauthor said in a statement.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.