When the Clocks Change: Helping Someone Living with Dementia Adjust to the End of Daylight Saving Time
On Sunday, November 1, daylight saving time comes to an end, and we'll turn our clocks back one hour. For many of us, the adjustment may mean waking a little earlier than usual or noticing how quickly darkness arrives in the late afternoon. Although the change is only an hour, it can temporarily affect our sleep patterns and daily routines.
For someone living with dementia, this seemingly small change may have a greater impact. Changes in daylight, sleep patterns, and familiar routines can influence how someone experiences their day. A person may begin feeling tired earlier, become hungry at an unexpected time, or seem more uncertain about what time of day it is. Not everyone living with dementia will experience difficulty with the transition, but understanding how the brain responds to light and familiar routines can help families and care partners prepare.
Understanding Our Brain's Internal Clock
Our brain has an internal clock that helps regulate when we feel awake and when we become sleepy. This natural rhythm, known as our circadian rhythm, plays an important role in regulating sleep, alertness, and other functions throughout the day. Natural light is one of the strongest influences on this internal clock. As our eyes detect changes in light, they send signals to the brain that help our body recognize when it's time to be active and when it's time to prepare for sleep.
Our daily routines also help reinforce this natural rhythm. Waking up, eating meals, spending time outdoors, participating in activities, and going to bed at familiar times provide predictable signals throughout the day. We may not consciously think about these patterns, but our bodies become accustomed to them. Over time, they help establish a familiar relationship between the time of day and what we're doing.
Dementia can affect the brain's ability to regulate sleep and wakefulness. Depending on the individual and the changes occurring in the brain, someone may become sleepy during the day, wake frequently throughout the night, or have difficulty maintaining a consistent sleep schedule. When we turn the clocks back, the time displayed on the clock changes immediately, but the body's internal rhythm doesn't necessarily adjust at the same pace.
Consider someone who is accustomed to eating dinner at 5:30 each evening. After the clocks change, they may begin feeling hungry closer to 4:30 according to the new time. Their body is still responding to the routine it has become familiar with, even though the clock now tells them something different. For someone who already has difficulty keeping track of time or adjusting to changes in routine, this temporary difference may be particularly noticeable.
Why Earlier Darkness Can Make a Difference
When daylight saving time ends, darkness begins arriving earlier according to the clock. Although the amount of daylight doesn't suddenly decrease because we've changed the time, the relationship between daylight and our usual activities shifts. We may find ourselves preparing dinner, returning home from an afternoon activity, or settling into the evening when it's already dark outside.
For someone living with dementia, changes in lighting can influence more than their sense of time. Dementia may also affect how the brain processes and interprets visual information. As natural light fades, shadows become more noticeable, contrast decreases, and familiar objects may become more difficult to recognize. A room that felt comfortable and familiar earlier in the afternoon may look quite different as daylight disappears.
Imagine someone sitting in their living room at 4:30 in the afternoon. Before the time change, sunlight may still be coming through the windows, illuminating the furniture and familiar objects around them. After the clocks change, that same time may bring a noticeably darker room. The person may become uncertain about whether it's time for dinner or bed, or they may have difficulty making sense of something they see in a shadowed corner.
These responses aren't necessarily caused by the time change alone. Changes in lighting, fatigue, and the individual's experience of dementia may all contribute. However, understanding how the environment changes as daylight fades gives us an opportunity to make adjustments that may help someone remain comfortable and feel more secure in their surroundings.
Preparing Before the Clocks Change
A little preparation in the days leading up to November 1 may help make the transition easier. The goal isn't to introduce an entirely new routine, but to make small adjustments while maintaining the familiarity and predictability of daily life. Because our bodies respond to established patterns, gradually changing the timing of certain activities may be more comfortable than expecting someone to adjust immediately when the clocks change.
One approach is to begin shifting meals, bedtime, and other familiar activities slightly later during the days before the transition. Since we're turning the clocks back one hour, moving these activities later before the change may help bring the person's internal rhythm closer to the new schedule. For example, if dinner is usually served at 5:30, consider moving it to 5:45 for a day or two, then to 6:00, continuing gradually if the person is comfortable. After the clocks change, the new dinner time will be closer to what their body has become accustomed to.
This approach won't be necessary or appropriate for everyone. Some individuals may adjust without difficulty, while others may find changes to familiar routines more unsettling than the time change itself. Rather than following a rigid schedule, pay attention to how the person responds. If moving dinner later creates frustration or discomfort, maintaining the familiar routine and allowing flexibility after the clocks change may be the better choice.
Another consideration is making sure the clocks throughout the home are adjusted and display the same time. For someone living with dementia, clocks may serve as important reminders of where they are in their day. When different clocks display different times, it can create confusion, particularly for someone who is already having difficulty keeping track of time. Check the clocks in frequently used rooms, including the kitchen, bedroom, and living room, as well as appliances and other devices that may not update automatically. Having consistent information throughout the home can help reduce uncertainty and provide a more reliable point of reference.
Some individuals may also benefit from a clock that clearly displays the time, day of the week, and whether it's morning, afternoon, or evening. These additional cues may be helpful when someone has difficulty interpreting a traditional clock or distinguishing between different times of day. As with any supportive tool, its usefulness will depend on the individual's abilities and preferences.
Natural light is another important consideration. Spending time outdoors during the day can help reinforce the body's natural sleep-wake rhythm while also providing opportunities for physical movement, engagement, and connection. A morning walk, sitting outside with a cup of coffee, or enjoying a familiar outdoor activity may be beneficial, depending on the person's abilities and preferences.
It's also worth taking a look at the lighting throughout the home before the clocks change. Consider the rooms where the person spends time later in the afternoon, particularly the living room, kitchen, and dining area. Turning on lights before natural daylight begins to fade may help prevent sudden changes in how familiar surroundings appear. Adequate, comfortable lighting can also make it easier to recognize objects, navigate the environment, and participate in activities.
If someone tends to become tired or less comfortable later in the day, consider whether activities requiring greater attention or concentration might be better scheduled earlier. The late afternoon may be a more comfortable time for familiar music, simple household activities, or spending time together without expectations or pressure. These adjustments aren't about keeping someone constantly occupied, but about recognizing when different activities may be most comfortable and meaningful for that individual.
The Importance of Familiar Routines
For someone living with dementia, familiar routines can provide important cues about what happens next. When memory, orientation, or the ability to organize activities becomes more difficult, the predictable rhythm of daily life may help someone move through the day with greater comfort. These routines provide structure without requiring the person to continually remember what time it is or what they're supposed to be doing.
The smell of coffee in the morning, preparing lunch together, taking an afternoon walk, or listening to favorite music before dinner can all become familiar parts of the day. These experiences offer more than a schedule. They provide sensory, social, and environmental cues that help establish continuity and a sense of familiarity, even when the person's understanding of time has changed.
As the clocks change, preserving meaningful routines may be more important than maintaining an exact schedule. If someone begins asking for dinner earlier than expected, consider whether their body is responding to the previous routine rather than assuming they're confused about the time. If they seem tired earlier in the evening, think about how much rest they've had, what their day has involved, and whether changes in daylight may be influencing their sense of time.
There may be opportunities to adjust activities gradually, but there will also be times when responding to the person's immediate needs is more helpful than following the clock. Maintaining familiar patterns while allowing room for individual preferences and responses can help provide both consistency and flexibility throughout the transition.
Supporting Sleep and Rest
Changes in sleep are common among people living with dementia, although the reasons and experiences vary. Some individuals may have difficulty falling asleep, wake frequently during the night, or become sleepy during the day. Because the body's internal clock plays an important role in regulating these patterns, changes in daily routines and light exposure may temporarily influence when someone feels ready to sleep or wake.
Maintaining opportunities for daytime activity, natural light, and meaningful engagement may help support healthier sleep-wake patterns. In the evening, creating a calmer environment can help reinforce the transition toward bedtime. Reducing unnecessary noise, limiting stimulating activities, and maintaining familiar bedtime routines may help someone settle more comfortably. Lighting should also be considered, with a balance between creating a restful atmosphere and providing enough illumination for safe movement, particularly if the person gets up during the night.
If someone begins waking earlier than usual or seems ready for bed at a different time after the clocks change, allow some time for adjustment while observing whether their sleep pattern begins to settle. However, persistent sleep disturbances or significant changes in behavior shouldn't automatically be attributed to daylight saving time or dementia. Pain, medication effects, sleep apnea, illness, and other medical conditions may contribute to disrupted sleep. Sudden or concerning changes, particularly an abrupt increase in confusion, should be discussed promptly with a healthcare professional.
Looking Beyond the Clock
The end of daylight saving time reminds us that our experience of time is influenced by much more than the numbers displayed on a clock. Our brain relies on natural light, internal rhythms, familiar routines, and information from our surroundings to help us recognize the progression of the day. When dementia affects some of these processes, changes that seem relatively minor to us may require additional adjustment.
Preparing ahead of time, maintaining familiar routines, providing appropriate lighting, and paying attention to the person's responses can help make the transition more comfortable. Some individuals may adjust without difficulty, while others may need more time, reassurance, or flexibility. There isn't one approach that will work for everyone, which is why understanding the individual remains so important.
The goal isn't simply to help someone adjust to the new time on the clock. It's to recognize how the change may be affecting them and consider what we can do to make their day a little easier. Sometimes that means adjusting a routine, changing the lighting, or simply responding to what the person needs in that moment.
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References and Further Reading
National Institute on Aging. Managing Sleep Problems in Alzheimer's Disease.https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/sleep/managing-sleep-problems-alzheimers-disease
National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Circadian Rhythms.https://www.nigms.nih.gov/education/fact-sheets/Pages/circadian-rhythms
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Here Comes the Sun! Tips to Adapt to Daylight Saving Time.https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/bulletin/2022/time-change.html
Alzheimer's Association. Treatments for Sleep Changes.https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/treatments/for-sleep-changes
