This weekend we breathe a sigh of relief that we’ll regain that blessed hour of sleep we lost in the spring. But while most of us celebrate adjusting our schedules to “Fall Back” an hour when Daylight Savings Time ends early Sunday morning, it isn’t true for everyone.

“Studies show that this isn’t always the case,” says Holly Phillips, M.D.., author of “The Exhaustion Breakthrough.”

She tells Newsmax Health the adjustment can disrupt sleep, which can wreak havoc on your mental and physical health.

“In fact, according to research published in Sleep Medicine Reviews, the shift may … cause a loss of sleep during the week after turning back the clock,” she notes. “That’s because people tend to stay up later after the time change and they’re not sleeping an hour later in the morning.”

Dr. Phillips explains that the body’s internal clock — known as our circadian cycles — needs time to reset itself after the time change, so many folks find they are waking up at the pre-time change for up to 10 days.

“And even if you think you are not truly awake during that extra morning hour, you’re likely sleeping less deeply,” she says.

For many falling back also signifies a shift into winter and the changing light patterns that come with it. It’s often dark when we get home from work, and the increase in darkness can lead to Seasonal Affective Disorder.

According to the National Institutes of Health the symptoms of SAD usually begin in autumn. They can include increased appetite, increased daytime sleepiness, decreased energy in the afternoon, loss of interest in work, unhappiness, and lethargy.
If you're experiencing symptoms of SAD, speak to your doctor, who may start you on bright light therapy.

Here are 6 tips to help you survive the time change:

No. 1: Light. Natural light helps to regulate how and when the sleep inducing substance, melatonin, is released from our brain. Make sure to expose yourself to as much light during the day as possible and keep windows open as dusk falls. These are important signals to the brain about when we should be winding up and down.

No. 2: Start early. If you can move your Saturday schedule, shift clocks back that morning, adjusting meals and exercise accordingly. This gives you essentially two days to adjust before the Monday grind.

No. 3: Don’t nap. Doing so will delay the natural body clock adjustment you need to make with the time change.

No. 4: Keep to your regular bedtime. Don’t stay up an extra hour later on Saturday night. You may not sleep in the next morning, leaving you feeling jet lagged.

No. 5: Exercise. Getting to the gym or otherwise working out releases the neurotransmitter serotonin, which helps your body advance the clock and adjust to the change. Exercise also helps us achieve better, deeper sleep.

No. 6: Take a bath. A hot bath results in a quick drop of body temperature when you get out. This mimics the natural drop in core body temperature that happens as we start to fall asleep and can help you ease into calming slumber.