As wildflower blooms start to pop up around the state of California, it’s a sign that spring is just around the corner.

And with the colorful fields of flowers also comes Daylight Saving Time, when we shift the clocks ahead to extend evening daylight during warmer months.

This year, Daylight Saving Time will begin at 2 a.m. March 8, the second Sunday in March. Clocks will be set forward one hour, so sunrise and sunset will occur an hour later. 

While an hour may seem harmless, the transition can have a range of health effects.

What are the health effects of Daylight Savings Time?  

Stephanie M. Stahl, an associate professor of clinical medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine, said it is common for people to lose an hour of sleep as they head into daylight saving time, according to a Q&A with the university. 

“It can then take several days to weeks for the circadian rhythm — the internal body clock — to reset to the shift in time,” Stahl said in the Q&A. “The key drivers of our circadian rhythm are light and darkness.”

In the Q&A, Stahl said that because the mornings are darker and the evenings are lighter during Daylight Saving Time, it makes it harder to “shift our circadian rhythm to the new time.” 

In the days following the time change in March, about half of the people have daytime sleepiness, according to Stahl. 

“Motor vehicle and workplace accidents, heart attacks, strokes, atrial fibrillation, mood disorders, and suicide are all increased as well in the few days to weeks after the time change,” Stahl said in the university’s Q&A. 

The change to Daylight Saving Time is harder on “adolescents and those who normally go to bed late,” according to Stahl. 

“Older adults can take longer to adapt to the time change, meaning that the symptoms and increased risk of health effects may last longer,” Stahl said in the Q&A. 

A study from Stanford Medicine shows changing the clocks twice a year can also have longer-term health effects, the university said in a September 2025 news release. 

The study looked at how different time policies, permanent standard time, permanent daylight saving time, and biannual shifting affected people’s circadian rhythm, or the “body’s innate, roughly 24-hour clock, which regulates many physiological processes,” the university said. 

The study showed that the bi-annual shift disrupts circadian rhythms, leading to higher rates of stroke and obesity, according to the university. 

Some tips for coping with the time change 

To minimize the impact of the time change on your body, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggests the following: 

Some other tips for adjusting to the time change from Northwestern Medicine include: 

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Daylight Saving Time is nearly here. What are the health effects?

Reporting by Daniella Segura, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun

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