Clocks Fall Back Sunday. Withings Data From 237,480 Nights Says You'll Sleep Just 11 Minutes Longer.
The extra hour mostly disappears. Withings user data shows an 11-minute gain on fall-back night and a small dip a week later.
Meet the brandTechnology · Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
Withings
Connected scales, hybrid smartwatches, blood pressure monitors, and sleep sensors that sync to one app.
Founded 2008 by Éric Carreel, Cédric Hutchings and Fred Potter
The extra hour we never actually get
Every fall we hear it. Extra hour of sleep!
And every fall, somehow, we’re up at the same time anyway. Now there’s data for that feeling.
What Withings found
According to an October 29 release from Withings, based on its own users’ sleep trackers:
- On the night the clocks fell back, Americans slept 11 minutes longer than their usual Saturday, with slightly more night wake-ups
- In the week after, people woke about 16 minutes earlier and went to bed about 15 minutes earlier by the clock
- By the following Saturday, they slept about 4 minutes less than usual, with a slightly lower sleep score
- Sleep quality was back to its pre-change level over the following two weeks
- In Europe, where clocks change a week earlier, people gained between 10 and 15 minutes
What matters is the pattern over time.The WellWham perspective
City by city
| City | Nights measured | Extra sleep on fall-back night |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 8,800 | +9 min |
| Los Angeles | 3,600 | +10 min |
| Washington, D.C. | 3,300 | +12 min |
| San Diego | 1,700 | +15 min |
| Houston | 1,700 | +16 min |
How Withings counted it: each person’s fall-back night was compared with the average of their four previous Saturdays. Withings then subtracted the change seen on the same night in places that never change clocks (Arizona, Hawaii and Iceland), about 2.8 extra minutes.
What Withings' sleep specialist suggests
Dr. Pierre Escourrou, a cardiologist and sleep specialist quoted in the release, said, “We can’t expect the body to automatically use the extra hour for sleep. Our internal clock is set by light and by habit, and it doesn’t move overnight just because the clocks do.” Withings’ tips:
- Go to bed and, above all, wake up at roughly the same time every day
- Get outside in daylight, preferably in the morning
- Look at your sleep trend over weeks, not a single night
Our read: the extra hour is a myth we keep repeating
This is our analysis. “Extra hour of sleep” is one of those lines everyone says and almost nobody gets. Bodies run on light and routine, not on what the microwave clock says. The useful part here is the small print: by the next weekend, people were slightly behind.
Reality check
This is Withings user data, not a peer-reviewed study, and it describes people who own Withings sleep trackers, not all Americans. Withings itself says it shows associations, not causes. The release also promotes Withings’ Sleep Care Service, which connects users to sleep specialists through Dreem Health and Dune Health in all 50 states. Withings says it’s “covered by most insurance plans” and didn’t list a cash price. If your sleep stays off for weeks, that’s a reason to talk to a doctor either way.
The close
Extra hour of sleep!
More like 11 minutes. Set your alarm like normal and get some morning light.
Sources
- Withings, “Americans get an extra hour, but sleep just 11 minutes longer, as the Withings Sleep Care Service brings sleep specialists to all 50 states,” PR Newswire, October 29, 2026: prnewswire.com
Brand information: Withings via PR Newswire
