Orlando doctor helps families prepare for daylight saving time
Orlando Health pediatrician Dr. Gayathri Kapoor joins WESH 2 to share how parents can help children prepare for the time shift on Sunday, March 8, 2026
READY OR NOT, IT IS ALMOST TIME TO SPRING FORWARD. DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME IS THIS WEEKEND NOT READY HERE. SATURDAY NIGHT WE’RE GOING TO SET OUR CLOCKS AHEAD AN HOUR, MEANING WE LOSE THAT HOUR OF SLEEP. AND IT REALLY DOES MAKE SO MANY FEEL LIKE THIS IS A ROUGH TIME. IT’S ESPECIALLY HARD ON OUR LITTLE ONES, AND THAT MAKES THIS AN UPHILL BATTLE THAT SOMETIMES IS TOUGH FOR PARENTS. ANYWAY, A LITTLE EVEN STEEPER. JOINING US NOW TO HELP PREP FOR THE TIME SHIFT IS ORLANDO HEALTH PEDIATRICIAN DOCTOR GAYATHRI KAPOOR. GOOD TO SEE YOU, DOCTOR. HI. GOOD TO SEE YOU GUYS. LET’S TALK ABOUT THE HELP THAT US AS PARENTS WE NEED. WHAT ARE SOME OF THOSE IMPORTANT THINGS WE NEED TO KEEP IN MIND BEFORE GETTING THEM TO BED SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUCCESSFULLY SHIFTING WITH DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME? YEAH, THIS IS SUCH A FUN BUT BUT KIND OF HARD TIME OF THE YEAR. YEAH. FOR EVERYBODY. SO THE FIRST THING IS TO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF SET THOSE CLOCKS FORWARD A LITTLE BIT WITH YOUR WHOLE EVENING ROUTINE. SO, YOU KNOW, WITH DINNER WITH GOING TO, YOU KNOW, STARTING YOUR BEDTIME ROUTINE, BATS MOVE EVERYTHING UP BY KIND OF 15 TO 20 MINUTES STARTING TODAY. SO TODAY AND TOMORROW I WOULD KIND OF MOVE THINGS UP A LITTLE BIT. AND THAT WAY THAT KIND OF BY THE TIME SUNDAY COMES AROUND AND THAT CLOCK MOVES FORWARD AN HOUR, YOU’RE ALREADY KIND OF INTO A NEW ROUTINE AND GETTING READY FOR THAT CHANGE. THE SECOND THING I WOULD RECOMMEND IS ALSO GETTING SOME BRIGHT LIGHT IN THE MORNING. SO IN THE DAYS FOLLOWING THE CHANGE, OPEN UP ALL THE CURTAINS, MAYBE TAKE A LITTLE WALK OUTSIDE WITH YOUR LITTLE ONES. AND THAT KIND OF ALSO SETS THE SETS THE BODY UP TO HAVE A NEW RHYTHM. AS WE GO INTO THIS SPRING FORWARD TIME. AND DOC, YOU JUST MENTIONED RHYTHM. WHAT DOES THIS SLEEP CHANGE ACTUALLY DO TO THE KID’S SLEEP RHYTHM? HOW DOES IT CHANGE? MESS IT UP OR KEEP IT? OKAY. THAT KIND OF THING. I FEEL LIKE AT THE BEGINNING IT KIND OF MESSES IT UP. YEAH, DEFINITELY. SO, YOU KNOW, OUR CIRCADIAN RHYTHM, YOU KNOW, IT REALLY DEPENDS ON THE DAYLIGHT AND AND NIGHT, YOU KNOW, ROUTINE. SO WHEN THE DAY IS STARTING AN HOUR LATER, YOU KNOW, OUR BODY NEEDS TO KIND OF RESET BACK TO THAT TO THAT CLOCK. AND IT’S A IT’S A BIG ADJUSTMENT BECAUSE WE’RE JUST NOT USED TO IT. EVEN AN HOUR MAKES SUCH A BIG DIFFERENCE FOR ALL OF US. AND LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT ADJUSTMENT PERIOD. SOMETIMES IT FEELS LIKE IT TAKES A WEEK OR MORE. WHAT DO YOU SAY, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF REALLY ADJUSTING TO IT? HOW MUCH TIME DO WE NEED TO GIVE OURSELVES? YEAH, SO THEY SAY IT TAKES ABOUT 3 TO 5 DAYS ACTUALLY. SO I WOULD GIVE YOUR KIDS A SOLID LIKE WEEK AFTER AND EVEN EVEN YOU GUYS, I WOULD GIVE ADULTS A WEEK TO. YEAH. OH BOY I FEEL LIKE DOC THEY WANT TO STAY UP A LOT LATER BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THE SUN IS STILL UP, SO IT’S REALLY HARD TO GET THEM INSIDE OF THE HOUSE TO SAY NO, NO, NO. LIKE PLAYTIME IS OVER, COME IN TIME TO GET READY FOR BED. YEAH, I THINK IT’S REALLY ABOUT KEEPING YOUR ROUTINE THE SAME THOUGH. LIKE EVEN. AND THAT’S WHY I SAY LIKE KIND OF START 3 TO 4 DAYS BEFORE IF YOU CAN, BECAUSE THE 15 MINUTE INCREMENTS, MOVING THINGS UP A LITTLE BIT, IT’S NOT AS NOTICEABLE AS SAYING LIKE, OKAY, WE’RE GOING TO START YOUR NIGHTTIME ROUTINE A WHOLE HOUR EARLIER THAN NORMAL ALL OF A SUDDEN. RIGHT? AND SO JUST LIKE THE SHOCK THAT IT IS TO THEM, IT’S A SHOCK TO OUR SYSTEM TOO. SO I SAY LIKE, YOU KNOW, SMALLER INCREMENTAL CHANGES ARE BETTER THAN JUST DOING ONE BIG CHANGE AT ONE TIME. OR IF IT FEELS LIKE WE HAVEN’T FULLY BEEN ABLE TO ADJUST. IS THERE A POINT THAT YOU SUGGEST WE REACH OUT TO A PROFESSIONAL DOCTOR LIKE YOURSELF? SURE. YEAH. I THINK JUST LIKE WITH ANYTHING, YOU KNOW, IF YOUR KID IS HAVING A HARD TIME, LIKE FALLING ASLEEP OR ADJUSTMENTS, A GREAT IDEA TO TALK TO YOUR PEDIATRICIAN, YOU KNOW, IF THAT’S THAT’S A BIG PART, PART OF OUR WELL VISITS AND ALSO SICK VISITS HERE IN OUR CLINIC. SO I THINK IT’S A GREAT IDEA TO REACH OUT TO YOUR PEDIATRICIAN. ALL RIGHT. WELL, DOCTOR GUTHRIE KAPOOR, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS INSIGHT. JOINING US HERE FROM ORLANDO HEALTH. GREAT STUFF. AS WE JUST START SLOWLY ADJUSTIN
Orlando doctor helps families prepare for daylight saving time
Orlando Health pediatrician Dr. Gayathri Kapoor joins WESH 2 to share how parents can help children prepare for the time shift on Sunday, March 8, 2026
Updated: 10:00 AM EST Mar 6, 2026
Orlando Health pediatrician Dr. Gayathri Kapoor joins WESH 2 to share how parents can help children prepare for the time shift at 2 a.m. on March 8, 2026. Click here to learn more.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Orlando Health pediatrician Dr. Gayathri Kapoor joins WESH 2 to share how parents can help children prepare for the time shift at 2 a.m. on March 8, 2026.