The Hour We Gain, the Light We Lose

When we “fall back” at the end of Daylight Saving Time, it feels like a small gift: an extra hour of sleep. But that bonus hour comes with a serious tradeoff: shorter days, darker mornings, and a biological rhythm thrown off balance for months.

The Myth of the Extra Hour

That 'bonus' hour of rest is largely an illusion. Studies show most people don’t actually sleep longer immediately following the DST shift, while the months that follow bring ever-earlier sunsets. These depleted light conditions jumpstart a season of sluggishness, mood dips, and even clinical depression.

The Inevitable Rise of Seasonal Affective Disorder

As sunlight dwindles, many people experience symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of depression triggered by reduced light exposure. Winter depression increases because the circadian rhythm, your body’s clock, runs on light and dark, not your calendar app.

The end of DST forces your schedule to shift suddenly, creating what scientists call social jet lag: when your biological time and work, play, and socializing time fall out of sync. Even a short mismatch increases risks for depression, cardiovascular disease, and weight gain.

Using Light to Fight Winter Depression

The key to mitigating SAD is timing your light exposure. To align the circadian rhythm and prevent winter depression, aim to get bright light during the day and dim, low-blue light at night. 

Many people turn to “happy lamps” in winter: light therapy devices advertised to deliver 10,000 lux of bright light. Unfortunately, the 10,000 lux figure is based on outdated research from the 80s and 90s. Worse: it is difficult to achieve 10,000 lux with normal SAD lamp use, because the light is uncomfortably intense.

More modern approaches to light therapy emphasize steady, spectrum-balanced light throughout the day instead of short-term, blinding brightness. Use comfortably bright light in the morning and afternoon to energize your day, then shift to warm, blue-depleted light at night to help your body naturally wind down.

Re-Align Your Rhythm with the Restful Atmos Lamp

The Restful Atmos Lamp helps restore circadian balance when natural sunlight can’t:

• BrightStart™: bright, blue-enriched light that mimics morning sun, boosting alertness and advancing your circadian rhythm.

• LessBlue 2.0™: warm, dim evening light that supports melatonin release and helps your mind and body unwind.

By aligning your lighting with your biology, you can reclaim more than just an hour, you can reclaim your rhythm throughout the entire winter season.