Daylight Saving Time and Dementia
Most of the United States observe daylight saving time, beginning the second Sunday in March, by “springing forward” one hour so evenings have more daylight and mornings have less. One of the main reasons daylight saving time was implemented is to create a way to save energy and get more use out of our natural light, and not specifically for farmers as some think.
Today, the real benefit of longer days with sunlight is safety, making it easier for joggers, dog walkers, and children playing outside to see people and for drivers to see people more easily. But changing our clocks forward each spring can also have negative consequences for our bodies, especially for those living with dementia.
Many of us will wake up Sunday, March 10th, a bit tired and groggy because one hour of sleep was stolen from us during the night. When our internal clocks are asked to change, so do our circadian rhythms, and it takes a few days to adjust. A study published in 2019 showed an increase in heart attacks and cardiovascular events in the days after daylight savings time.
We are waking up an hour earlier and being asked to do things our bodies are not cognitively prepared to do at that hour. People living with dementia experience the same expectations but are unable to understand how to adjust their circadian rhythms. This can be especially hard because the routine changes, after being consistent for months, are too confusing.
Late afternoon confusion someone with dementia may experience can become worse because they are overstimulated and exhausted by the dark, and thus, this affects the brain. You may notice an increase in pacing, feelings of agitation, restlessness, increased disorientation, and mood swings. Other dementia-related symptoms may be worse in the mornings.
How can you support your loved one to minimize these changes? Make sure you stick to the usual routine, despite the clock change, as the person adjusts. Discourage naps during the day and encourage your loved one to remain active to promote good sleep health. Exposure to natural sunlight and exercise will help regulate the body’s rhythms for you and your loved one.
Think of ways you adjust your lifestyle to handle the time changes, and try these with your loved one. Because they experience difficulty in thinking and reasoning skills due to dementia, the person is unable to problem solve and adjust to the changes in their internal clock, but you can create strategies to make Sunday’s time change a bit less bothersome for the family.