Why children can take a week to adjust when the clocks go back

Children’s body clocks can remain on the old schedule for several days after the clocks change, but gradual routine shifts and careful use of light can ease the disruption.

When the clocks go back, children do not reset as quickly as the devices in the home. According to Spanish sleep expert Alicia Marqués, the body’s internal clock keeps running on the old schedule for several days, which can leave children waking too early, resisting sleep at night and struggling through the day with the kind of tiredness often associated with jet lag.

Marqués, who speaks about children’s sleep on the podcast “Dormir para vivir”, says the effects are usually most obvious in the first few days after the time change. She describes earlier wake-ups, disrupted naps, irritability and a greater struggle to fall asleep in the evening, adding that over-tiredness is often at the root of the problem. Sleep specialists in the US make similar points, saying daylight saving time can unsettle circadian rhythm, the body’s sleep-wake cycle, and that gradual changes to bedtime and morning light exposure can ease the shift.

The adjustment is usually completed within about a week, although Marqués warns parents not to assume that every sleep problem after the clock change is caused by the time shift itself. If a child who usually sleeps well is still having difficulties two weeks later, she says something else may be going on. Child health groups including HealthyChildren and Nationwide Children’s Hospital also advise parents to watch for lingering sleep disruption rather than blaming the clock change alone.

For younger children, Marqués says the impact depends partly on age. Babies under two months tend to notice it less because their circadian rhythm is still developing, while children from around three to six months onwards may feel the change just as strongly as older children. For those staying at home, she suggests moving the day gradually in the week before the switch by shifting wake-up time, naps and bedtime by 15 minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday so the child is already close to the new timetable by Sunday.

For families bound by school schedules, she recommends a slightly larger adjustment from Friday evening through Saturday, with routines moved back by 30 minutes. She also says children from about age three can be told in advance what is going to happen, which may help them handle the change calmly. Light matters too: morning darkness can help prevent a very early start to the day, while natural light later in the day helps the body clock settle. Marqués warns against turning on lights, breakfast or screens at dawn simply because a child is awake, and says parents should avoid abrupt bedtime changes, overly long naps and the temptation to overhaul sleep habits that were working well before the clock changed.