With daylight saving time just around the corner, sleep is top of mind for many people.
Sleep expert Amanda Jewson says it can be a tough time for many people, as the hour of sleep can make a large difference in someone’s day.
“This one’s a confusing one because our clocks go forward, right, so we think we’re going to bed later but we’re going to bed earlier. Your 9 p.m. this week will be 10 next week, and that’s hard for bodies,” she said.
“As you go through the time change, so after Sunday, try to get outside as much as you can. Get sunlight on your face during the daytime hours, get nighttime, night exposure outside at night, that’s going to again re-regulate your hormones to do what we want it to do at the right times, wake you up in the morning and help you go to bed at night.”
According to Jewson, the lack of sleep goes much deeper than feeling tired the next day, as sleep is connected to several of our bodies’ functions.
“What’s really cool is the science is backing this up, it’s not just about how we feel,” said Jewson.
Jewson says sleep health and gut health are closely connected, pointing to a recent study in 2024 which examined the bacteria in children’s feces.
According to that study, children that went to bed before 9:30 p.m., had the presence of three key bacteria which helped in a number of factors such as supporting metabolism and the lining of the gut, reducing inflammation and aiding digestion, and supporting immune response.
“These kids who are going to bed early had these bacteria, and we know that the kids that didn’t go to bed earlier suffered from more chronic illness, had more frequent weight gains, and generally weren’t as well as the kids or their counterparts who were, so we can make some implications for adults knowing this information,” said Jewson.
She adds everyone should work on trying to get to bed at earlier hours.
“There’s an adage and it’s not exactly perfect or true but, ‘all hours of sleep before midnight count more,’ and the idea behind that is as we get earlier into the morning hours, and remember we’re creatures of the sun, when the sun is peeping up our brains and our bodies produce different hormones at different times,” she said.
“If you get to bed in that 10-11, I think you’re in a good zone, and I’m speaking for adults. Children generally do well with earlier bedtimes between 6:30 and 9 depending on their age.”
Jewson also stressed the importance of getting your body into a nightly routine as well as limiting screen time before bed.
“Bodies don’t like going to bed earlier, so you want to set a routine, something that you’re doing outside of your body that when you do it your body goes ‘oh sleep is next’,” she said.
“And everyone hates this, you’ve got to limit these screens, put away your phones, TVs, the blue light from your screen tells you to stay awake, and we’re all on screens at all hours so this is a hard one but it’s key.”
