How Daylight saving time impacts your sleep: Muse user insights

Key Takeaways 

Muse analyzed over 5,900 sleep sessions and found:

• “Spring forward” cuts REM Sleep, making adjustment harder.

• “Fall back” gives you an extra hour on the clock, but actually leads to earlier wake-ups and shorter nights in real life.

• Night owls are more negatively impacted by the spring shift.

• People generally feel more refreshed after the fall shift, but on weekdays they actually sleep less and wake earlier. 

 

Twice a year, Daylight saving time (DST) turns our clocks, and our sleep upside down. Are you feeling jet-lagged and disrupted after the recent “fall back” DST shift?  The Muse team was curious how our community felt after the time change, so we dug into our own real-world sleep study: data from more than 5,900 Muse-powered sleep sessions.

 

How does DST time change disrupt sleep?

DST disrupts sleep by shifting the alignment between our internal body clocks and the light-dark cycle that controls when we feel awake or tired.This misalignment, especially during the spring “spring forward” shift, reduces total sleep time, fragments sleep stages, and delays the ability to fall asleep, particularly affecting night owls. 

While the autumn “fall back” shift may feel like an extra hour of rest, it often leads to earlier wake-ups and shorter overall sleep on weekdays. These shifts create a form of “social jet lag” that can lead to daytime tiredness, mood disturbances, and increased health risks until the body gradually adjusts over several days to weeks.

So, we set out to test whether the data agrees with the theory, and to what extent.

What does the Muse data show us?

As Muse’s Senior Research Scientist, Maurice Abou Jaude, puts it:  

“Our data show that daylight saving time disrupts sleep architecture in distinct ways. The spring transition consistently reduces REM and delays sleep onset, while the fall shift prompts earlier wake-ups and slightly less total sleep. The weekend recovery we observe suggests the body compensates naturally within days.”

Muse analyzed 5,992 sleep sessions around the 2023–2024 daylight saving transitions. The results confirm what many feel but now with data:

1. Spring forward (March) hurts more than fall back

When clocks move forward, the brain loses restorative REM and struggles to adjust. The spring shift delays the body clock. Nights become lighter, less efficient, and it’s harder to catch up until the weekend.

• Users took longer to fall asleep (+2.6 minutes).  

• REM sleep (the restorative, dream-rich stage) dropped by 5.4 minutes per night.  

• Light sleep rose by 6.4 minutes.  

• Wake times shifted about 15 minutes later on weekdays.  

• Late chronotypes (“night owls”) saw a 1.4% drop in sleep efficiency.  

• Users reported feeling “more tired” or “less refreshed” on post-shift weekdays; while having a rebound in mood by Saturday.

2. Fall back (November): mood lifts, but sleep shrinks

Yes, we gain an hour of sleep in November. However, it often means earlier wake-ups and shorter nights. Despite feeling more refreshed, people actually sleep less on weekdays after the fall change, likely due to earlier light exposure and routine shifts.

• People spent less time in bed (−13.8 minutes) and slept less (−13.5 minutes) on weekdays. 

• Light sleep decreased (−10.5 minutes)

• Wake time shifted 22 minutes earlier.  

• Users felt more refreshed and less tired after the change, with peak refreshment on the Saturday following DST.

3. Saturday is the body's reset button

Across both transitions, Muse observed a rebound – users felt most refreshed on the Saturday following each clock change, even if weekday sleep was rocky. This hints at the power of adaptive routines and the restorative effect of a break from weekday structure.

4. Spring cuts REM Sleep, hitting harder for night owls

The data paint spring as especially punishing for REM sleep: the stage critical to memory, mood, and learning. And for late sleepers, Spring brings an even bigger hit to sleep efficiency (-1.4%). 

In Muse’s words:  

• Spring shift steals an hour, plus your REM sleep, with more trouble falling asleep. 

• Night owls pay the spring tax.

5. Your brain lies to you: Fall feels good, but you still sleep less.

Muse’s research delivers a counterintuitive insight: even as people feel more refreshed after fall’s time change, they actually sleep less and wake up earlier on weekdays.  

*Our analysis is based on app-level sleep hypnograms, which were downsampled and smoothed. We applied rigorous session filters and confirmed daylight saving time shifts via timezone offsets. Please note this is an exploratory analysis and does not rely on cloud-validated sleep staging algorithms.

 

What can you do to sleep better during DST time shifts?

Integrating evidence-based sleep habits with Muse’s personalized, data-driven tools can help ease the adjustment during DST shifts.

• Gradually shift your bedtime by 15-30 minutes (earlier before March’s “spring forward” shift; later before November’s “fall back” shift) a few days before DST to help adjust your internal clock. 

• Maintain a regular sleep and eating schedule to stabilize circadian rhythms 

• Establish a relaxing pre-sleep routine like meditation or deep breathing to improve sleep onset. Try one of Muse’s realtime biofeedback meditations and deep breathing sessions to reduce time to fall asleep and enhance sleep quality during adjustment periods.

• Try Muse’s Digital Sleeping Pills (DSPs), which uses smart audio that fades out as your brain transitions to sleep and fades back in if you wake up. Data shows DSPs helps people fall asleep 55% faster and improves sleep quality by 20%.

• Track your sleep with our lab-grade EEG + fNIRS headband Muse S Athena, get personalized feedback and actionable advice from our new AI Coach: Enso.

Ending thoughts

DST time changes may disrupt your sleep, but with mindful habits and tools like Muse, you can support your body’s natural adjustment. Remember, your brain and body are adaptable. Giving them the right conditions and support helps you bounce back faster and wake up feeling truly refreshed.

References:

CBC Radio. (2025, November 2). Here's why sleep experts think we should abolish daylight saving time. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/whitecoat/here-s-why-sleep-experts-think-we-should-abolish-daylight-saving-time-9.6960740

Sleep Foundation. (2025, October 5). Daylight saving time: Everything you need to know. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/circadian-rhythm/daylight-saving-time

Wen, L. (2025, November 3). Tips for coping after Daylight Saving Time ends, according to a doctor. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/03/health/sleep-daylight-saving-change-melatonin-wellness