Alberta’s clocks are staying put. What does that mean for sleep?

An 8 a.m. class begins at the same time on the timetable, whether the sun is up or not. For the brain trying to learn through it, that difference matters.

This November, Alberta will stop turning its clocks back, remaining on what the province now calls Alberta Time — equivalent to Mountain Daylight Time — year-round. Winter sunrise and sunset will occur an hour later by the clock than under standard time. 

The change brings sleep into a broader conversation about campus well-being: how learning and working environments interact with human biology, and what happens when their demands conflict.

“Sleep is shaped by the conditions of our everyday lives, including when we learn and work, the demands we balance and the environments we spend time in,” says Dr. Jennifer Thannhauser, PhD’12, academic director of mental health and well-being in the University of Calgary’s Office of Institutional Commitments(OIC) and a Registered Psychologist. “Supporting well-being means helping people care for themselves while also considering how our campus environments can make that care possible.”

That intersection reflects the OIC’s work through UCalgary’s Community Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy, which recognizes the importance of supportive environments alongside individual care. Sleep is shaped by personal habits, but also by schedules, employment demands and access to daylight. 

Three clocks, one body

“Our bodies follow the sun,” says Dr. Michael Antle, PhD, professor and head of the Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Arts, who studies circadian rhythms: the approximately 24-hour cycles that help regulate sleep, wakefulness and other bodily processes.

He describes the challenge as a “three-clock problem.” According to Antle, there is a solar clock, which creates the day-night cycle; the biological clock, which responds to environmental cues; and the social clock, which determines when we attend class or begin work.

Light helps synchronize our internal timing with the world around us. Morning light generally moves the biological clock earlier, while evening light can shift it later. Changing the clock on the wall changes our schedules relative to those cues.

Permanent daylight time does not add daylight. It places the available light later in the clock day, leaving less of it before morning commitments.

Alberta’s geography makes that consequential. Its northern latitude brings short winter days, while Calgary’s position toward the western side of the Mountain time zone means sunrise already occurs relatively late by the clock.

Antle’s concern is that retaining daylight time through winter will increase the mismatch between when people must be awake and when their bodies are ready.

Why an early class can feel especially early

The tendency to be a morning person or an evening person — known as chronotype — changes across the lifespan. Many young adults naturally lean toward later sleep and wake times, Antle explains.

For students, early classes can therefore coincide with a period when their biological clock is still promoting sleep. A commute can require waking considerably earlier still.

Antle points to research on later school start times, particularly among adolescents, that has found benefits for sleep and measures of student functioning. The underlying question is relevant to university life, too: Are students being asked to learn and demonstrate their knowledge at times that work against their biology?

“It’s not their fault. It’s just biology,” Antle says.

Registered Psychologist Kyle Dyck, whose work includes supporting people experiencing insomnia and other sleep difficulties, says students often have limited flexibility to respond.

Required classes may overlap with employment, studying and other responsibilities, leaving little room to adjust. Students who already experience sleep difficulties may find those competing demands particularly challenging.

The mismatch that follows us into the weekend

Antle also describes social jet lag: The difference between sleep timing on days governed by work or school and days when people have more freedom to follow their preferred schedule.

Someone who struggles to wake up for weekday classes may sleep substantially later on weekends. That pattern can reflect both their natural timing and an attempt to recover from insufficient sleep.

Antle cautions against treating it simply as laziness. The early weekday schedule may be part of the problem.

Maintaining a consistent routine can make transitions between weekdays and weekends easier. But following that advice depends partly on circumstances: a student working a closing shift may still need to attend an early required class.

This is where sleep becomes a matter of campus environments as well as individual behaviour.

Antle has recommended considering later winter exams, reducing early classes and improving daytime lighting on campus. His recommendations invite attention to how scheduling and physical spaces can support alertness and learning.

They also highlight an equity consideration: control over time is uneven. Students in tightly prescribed programs and employees whose work begins early may have fewer options to change their schedules.

When tiredness deserves attention

Dyck encourages students to notice changes in daily functioning. Sleeping through alarms, missing classes or shifts, withdrawing from social activities, or struggling to maintain usual academic performance can all prompt a closer look at sleep.

Mood changes matter, too, although winter tiredness and low mood can have several causes.

The key question, Dyck says, is: “Is this starting to have an impact on different areas of my life?”

Sleep and stress can reinforce each other. Difficulty sleeping may affect academic performance, which adds stress and makes sleep harder still. Recognizing that pattern early creates an opportunity to seek support before difficulties accumulate.

Friends and roommates can help by noticing changes and checking in, particularly when someone may not recognize how much their mood or behaviour has shifted.

Working with the light available

Both experts recommend making use of daylight. Antle emphasizes morning light, while Dyck suggests finding opportunities to get outdoors between classes or spend time near a bright window when outdoor conditions make that difficult.

“Really as much as possible, trying to capitalize on access to daylight when they can,” says Dyck.

Reducing bright light in the evening can help avoid sending additional wakefulness signals when the body is preparing for sleep. Consistent routines, physical activity and attention to caffeine and alcohol use are other considerations.

Persistent sleep difficulties may require more individualized support. Dyck’s work includes cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, as well as addressing anxiety, trauma and stress that may contribute to disturbed sleep.

UCalgary students can connect with Student Wellness Services for medical care, counselling and student support advising.