Daylight saving time is ending: Doctor breaks down 6 ways to protect your sleep and health

Turning the clocks back at the end of daylight saving time has been linked to trouble falling and staying asleep, while ongoing sleep loss can take a toll on health.

While some research has suggested that the fall time change could have some cardiovascular benefits, the abrupt loss of evening sunlight can suppress serotonin and melatonin production, which can lead to a depressed mood, according to Dr. John La Puma, a California physician and expert in nature-based medicine.

The body’s internal clock does not automatically follow the clock on the wall, La Puma noted.

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"When the clocks change, your body clock is still on the old time," he told Fox News Digital, pointing out some common effects people may notice.

"So, for about a week, you wake up an hour early. You get hungry early. You feel sleepy early. It gets dark by five. Afternoon light goes away. You get months of short days. … You need coffee just to feel human. It's not great."

Making small adjustments to your routine after the time change could help ease the transition, the doctor said.

With clocks turning back overnight Saturday, people can begin moving bedtime, meals and wake-up time later in small increments on Friday, according to La Puma.

"So, you move your day later in small steps," he advised. "You move your bedtime and meals the same 15 minutes each time."

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For someone who normally goes to bed at 10 p.m., that could mean 10:15 p.m. Friday and 10:30 p.m. Saturday, before the clocks change. Wake-up times and meals can shift by the same increments as schedules allow.

Since the time change falls on Halloween, Dr. Saema Tahir, a sleep medicine doctor in New York City, cautioned against staying up late and drinking, operating under the assumption that the extra hour covers it.

"Keep alcohol moderate, finish drinking a few hours before bed and avoid caffeine after early afternoon," she advised.

"Alcohol makes you drowsy at first but breaks up sleep in the second half of the night. Caffeine stays in your system for hours. Together, they can leave you more tired on Sunday than you would be with no time change at all."

La Puma also emphasized the importance of being intentional about outdoor exposure.

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"You want to get outside at the right minutes, at the time of day and in the right place if you can," he advised, specifically recommending getting outside each afternoon later in the day.

"Late-day daylight is different than morning daylight. Late-day daylight tells your body the day is running long, and it shifts later," he said.

Once you've adjusted to the time change, Tahir recommends getting outdoor light within an hour of waking every day through the winter.

"Light is the strongest signal the body clock gets," she told Fox News Digital. "Evening light pushes it later, which is the direction you need to go for 'fall back.' Morning light keeps it stable over the darker months and supports mood and daytime alertness."

Choosing a relaxing activity that signals bedtime is approaching can help to promote a consistent sleep schedule.

La Puma suggests choosing a relaxing bedtime ritual, such as working in a paper workbook, sipping chamomile tea, taking a bath or using aromatherapy, options he outlines in his book, "Indoor Epidemic."

"Very specific things that tell your brain and body, 'I'm winding down so I can go to sleep.'"

Other tips include limiting caffeine after noon and stopping screen time at least an hour before bedtime.

La Puma warned that light from the screen can suppress melatonin, the hormone that helps signal it is time to sleep. Even using night mode may not fully prevent that effect.

Once the clocks change, it’s important to maintain a regular wake-up time, including on weekends, La Puma said.

"Pick one wake-up time and keep it every day, weekdays and weekends."

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La Puma cited an eight-year study of about 60,000 people that linked consistent sleep and wake times to a 19% lower risk of death.

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"So, sleep and wake times have important effects on heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular mortality," he said.

Anyone experiencing persistent trouble falling or staying asleep, frequent daytime fatigue or sleep loss that interferes with daily activities should contact a healthcare provider, according to the National Institutes of Health.

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Targeted drug shrinks tumors in 3 out of 4 patients with advanced breast cancer

There may be a promising new treatment on the horizon for advanced breast cancer patients, according to developing research.

Researchers are studying the cancer-killing drug trastuzumab rezetecan for those with ERBB2-low metastatic breast cancer, whose tumors have low levels of HER2, a protein that can help cancer cells grow.

A phase 3 clinical trial called HORIZON-Breast06 sought to determine whether the drug works better than standard chemotherapy for patients with this cancer type.

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The researchers analyzed 551 female patients across 73 hospitals in China who were randomly assigned to receive either the drug intravenously every three weeks, or the physician’s choice of chemotherapy. The study period lasted from June 2023 to August 2025.

The drug significantly delayed cancer progression compared with chemotherapy, giving patients more than a year before their cancer began growing again.

The median time without tumor growth was 16.4 months compared to 6.8 months with chemo.

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Patients who received trastuzumab rezetecan were 73% less likely to have their cancer worsen or die during the study than patients who received chemotherapy.

The drug appeared to delay cancer progression in patients with both hormone receptor-positive and hormone receptor-negative breast cancer.

The results were published in JAMA.

Tumors shrank in 75.5% of patients who received the drug, compared with 41.2% of those who received chemotherapy.

At the 12-month mark, 90.6% of trastuzumab rezetecan patients were alive, compared to 81.4% of chemo patients.

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The authors concluded that trastuzumab rezetecan provided "significant progression-free survival benefit over physician’s choice of chemotherapy in patients with ERBB2-low advanced breast cancer."

Loren Rourke, a Texas-based breast surgical oncologist and author in Texas, called the results "incredibly encouraging."

"When you're talking about women living with advanced breast cancer, those months matter," Rourke, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. "They represent more time when the cancer is being held in check and potentially more opportunities to enjoy life without the disease getting worse."

What makes these findings especially exciting, according to the oncologist, is that the treatment showed benefits across different types of breast cancer.

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"It's another important step forward, and it gives us genuine reason to be hopeful," she said. "A treatment that can keep cancer from progressing for a longer period has the potential to make an enormous difference in a patient's life."

While the drug may cause fewer serious lung problems than similar treatments, it was linked to other side effects, including anemia and other blood-related problems.

Serious side effects occurred in more than 84% of patients who received the new drug, compared with nearly 68% of those who received chemotherapy.

Rourke emphasized the importance of considering the side effects, "because more time without cancer progression doesn't automatically mean better quality of life."

"We need to better understand the side effects, particularly the significant decreases in blood counts that can lead to fatigue, anemia and increased risk of infection," she said.

The researchers acknowledged that toxicity occurred more frequently and often required dose modification, although they said these effects were "generally manageable."

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The experts agreed that more research is needed.

"As exciting as these findings are, there are still important questions we need to answer," Rourke told Fox News Digital. "We know this treatment delayed cancer progression, but we don't yet know whether it will help patients live longer. That's an important distinction."

"It's important to celebrate meaningful progress while making sure we're asking the right questions about what comes next."

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Warning signs that your adult child may be quietly cutting you off

Amid a growing trend of parent-child estrangement, experts say recognizing the early warning signs may help families address problems before they escalate into a no-contact situation.

Nearly four in 10 Americans are currently estranged from at least one close family member, according to a 2025 YouGov poll of 4,395 U.S. adults. That includes 24% who reported estrangement from a sibling, 16% from a parent and 10% from a child.

While estrangement can sometimes seem sudden, experts say subtle changes may signal that a family relationship is beginning to unravel.

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Mary McLaughlin, a licensed couples and family therapist in Vienna, Virginia, said early signs may include an adult child becoming less willing to share details of their life directly with a parent.

"You might find out about the trip, the new relationship or a promotion at work at the same time everyone else does," she told Fox News Digital.

The parent may still be in contact with the adult child, McLaughlin said, but the child no longer chooses to share parts of their life directly.

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Other potential warning signs may include skipping family holidays, birthdays or weddings; leaving texts and calls unanswered; and reducing communication to brief or sporadic exchanges, according to the expert.

The distance may become so noticeable that siblings, grandparents or other relatives comment that they have not seen or heard from the adult child in a long time.

A child who once readily joined family photos but begins stepping out of them may also be signaling that they are starting to see themselves as separate from the family, McLaughlin said.

Blythe Landry, a Pennsylvania-based therapist and founder of Blythe Landry Coaching, said other early signs may include a child becoming involved with a new social group that encourages estrangement over difficult conversations, or "beginning to rewrite history in a way that seems more damaging than what might have happened."

The adult child may also become less willing to let a parent spend time with their grandchildren.

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The most telling sign may be a noticeable shift in the tone of the relationship, Landry said.

"You know your child, and you know when the energy has shifted in a direction that seems dramatically harsher than in previous interactions."

Laura Wellington, a Connecticut mother who has been estranged from her adult daughter since 2024, said it can be challenging to distinguish early signs of estrangement from typical moves toward independence.

"It’s confusing to the parent because, a lot of times, they look like the general signs of a teenager moving into the young-adult zone — just pulling away and going off and establishing their lives," she told Fox News Digital.

"That’s what I think confuses many parents, because they want to give them the space to start pulling away and showing signs of their own individuality and carving their path."

"They don’t want to fight every battle, because if they fight every battle, then communication breaks down. So they try to pick and choose."

One warning sign, according to Wellington, is if the child has an "I know everything, you know nothing" mindset.

"What's happening in our society today is … a lot of ‘I know everything, you know nothing’ toward the parent," she said. "There's no respect for what the parents experience. There's no tolerance for them speaking up and saying, ‘No, this is not what you should be doing.’"

In some cases, the child may begin treating the parent as a subordinate, according to Wellington.

Some parents begin to notice a shift when their adult children start treating them with disrespect, pushing back on their opinions and positioning themselves as the authority in the relationship, she said.

"They become the authority; they flip it. Anytime you say something, you’ll see them bark at the parent and push back on the parent. They really have no respect for the parent."

Wellington also pointed to major differences in political, religious or lifestyle beliefs as a possible source of growing distance between parents and adult children.

She suggested that some young people who become estranged are "more liberal in thinking," while acknowledging that the dynamic can also work in the opposite direction when a parent holds especially strong ideological views.

"There is extremism sometimes where the parent is extremely something, and then the child … goes the other way," she said.

Richard Blake, Ph.D., a Texas-based psychology researcher who focuses on anxiety and family estrangement, said an adult child’s unwillingness to consider differing views may signal trouble.

He suggested that personality may play a role, with more argumentative adult children who are less willing to consider differing views potentially more prone to family estrangement.

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Another possible warning sign, according to Blake, is if the adult child has begun cutting off other people. He said parents should take note if an adult child has repeatedly stops speaking to relatives or openly boasts about ending relationships.

"Chances are, they're going to cut off someone else and it may be the parent," he said. "If you haven’t been cut off yet, you may be in the firing line there."

Ongoing communication problems may be an early warning sign, Blake said, particularly when an adult child feels that a parent refuses to listen or acknowledge the child’s point of view.

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"They may say, ‘My parents just don’t listen. I cannot get through to them. It’s like talking to a brick wall.'"

Parents who consistently dismiss their children’s concerns should not be surprised when conflict develops, he said.

"If you don’t listen to your child, then don’t be surprised if you have conflict with them."

Blake recommends listening actively, avoiding interruptions, repeating back what the other person has said and asking a simple follow-up question: "First, you say, ‘Is there more?'"

While there may be some early signs, Blake emphasized that estrangement can sometimes appear suddenly, with no warning.

"A lot of parents will say, ‘My child never told me the issue. We were best friends. And then I got a letter saying, never contact me ever again.’"

"That is a big problem. It's like people don't even know why they get cut off."

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Landry noted that recognizing possible warning signs should prompt honest self-reflection, not just concern about the other person’s behavior.

"If there is an imminent estrangement, dig deep," she advised. "Do you have a part? If so, is there a chance of rectifying it before it occurs?"

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Date-rape drug at center of Cornell sex assault allegations can leave victims unaware of surroundings

An investigation into an alleged gang rape at a Cornell University fraternity has thrust the illicit use of ketamine into the spotlight, calling attention to the powerful anesthetic’s use on college campuses as a date-rape drug.

The former Cornell student testified before the university’s hearing panel that ketamine made her feel "like her lights were on but no one was home," describing a state of "vague consciousness."

During an Oct. 23 appearance on "Fox & Friends," Dr. Stephanie Widmer, a Fox News contributor and addiction specialist in New York, warned that the drug’s physiological effects can leave people unable to defend themselves or understand their environment.

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"When you say the lights are on, but nobody’s home, that’s a pretty good way to describe it," Widmer said. "You can essentially have no awareness of your surroundings."

Ketamine affects NMDA receptors in the brain and can alter vital signs, according to the doctor.

"It can cause profound sedation, and it can cause dissociation, which is essentially the sensation of your brain not really being attached to your body," she said.

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While ketamine has legitimate medical uses — it was used as a battlefield anesthetic during the Vietnam War and remains FDA-approved for general anesthesia — the drug is also abused recreationally at parties, raves and nightclubs.

The Drug Enforcement Administration classifies ketamine as a Schedule III controlled substance and identifies it, alongside Rohypnol and GHB, as a drug that can be used to facilitate sexual assault. The agency says these substances can cause sedation, confusion and memory loss, leaving victims vulnerable.

When asked why ketamine falls into the category of date-rape drugs, Widmer said it can affect both cognitive function and physical awareness.

"There are a number of date-rape drugs that are out there, and ketamine does fall into that category because of what it can do to your sensorium," she added.

Widmer also warned about mixing ketamine with alcohol or other substances, which can compound the drugs’ effects and increase the risk of dangerous sedation and respiratory depression.

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"They’re combining them with other substances, they’re combining them with alcohol, and that can compound the effects of these drugs," she said. "It can cause really profound sedation. It can be incredibly dangerous."

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Widmer said her biggest concern is how parents discuss the dangers of drugs with their children, especially before sending them off to college.

"Everybody knows to say drugs are bad and not to do drugs, and you never know what you’re getting, but really understanding what some of these drugs can do is really important... that they’re not benign and that they can cause dissociation."

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Weight-loss drug could help address nighttime sleep disruptions for millions

An experimental obesity drug significantly reduced breathing interruptions and other symptoms of obstructive sleep disorder in two clinical trials, according to new research published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects more than 50 million Americans, and about 80% of cases are undiagnosed, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

The study examined whether retatrutide, an investigational weight-loss drug from Eli Lilly, could help treat OSA in adults who were overweight or obese.

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Retatrutide is being evaluated in phase 3 TRIUMPH trials as a potential treatment for obesity and related metabolic conditions. The drug has not been approved by the FDA.

The FDA has warned that unauthorized versions of retatrutide have been illegally marketed and sold online for weight loss.

The two phase 3 randomized trials included 691 adults with moderate-to-severe sleep apnea and a BMI of at least 27. Participants received once-weekly injections of retatrutide at doses of 4, 9 or 12 milligrams, or a placebo, and were followed for 80 weeks.

The trials included 243 participants without type 2 diabetes and 448 with the condition.

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Participants who received retatrutide lost between 12% and nearly 20% of their body weight and experienced significantly fewer breathing interruptions than those who received a placebo.

About 68% of participants experienced more than a 50% improvement in OSA symptoms, regardless of whether they had type 2 diabetes.

The study also found that hypoxic burden — the severity and duration of low-oxygen episodes caused by breathing disruptions during sleep — fell by about 75% among participants without type 2 diabetes and 65% among those with the condition.

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The researchers concluded that retatrutide led to significantly greater reductions in AHI (breathing interruptions) than a placebo among adults with OSA who were obese or overweight, regardless of whether they had type 2 diabetes.

The researchers noted that retatrutide’s lack of FDA approval was a limitation, and further studies are needed to determine how the drug may affect long-term cardiovascular outcomes.

Study co-author Dr. Virend Somers, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, told Fox News Digital that while the results were expected, he was surprised by the "magnitude of benefit in patients with type 2 diabetes," as well as the significant reduction in sleep apnea.

"This is a very exciting time in treating sleep apnea patients," Somers said.

Sleep apnea is associated with a higher risk of heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure and atrial fibrillation. In the trial, participants experienced reductions in several cardiovascular risk factors, including systolic blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, systemic inflammation and neck circumference.

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"A reduction in these measures would predict whether these patients were at increased cardiovascular risk," Somers told Fox News Digital.

"In diabetics, blood pressure is a key determinant of future cardiovascular risk, and the fact that we were able to reduce it so significantly was both surprising and exciting."

Somers said retatrutide also improved several diabetes-related measures.

In participants without diabetes, insulin levels fell by more than 50%. Among those with type 2 diabetes, 40% progressed from diabetes to prediabetes and another 40% no longer met the criteria for diabetes, according to the researcher.

The improvements were largely linked to weight loss, which can lead to better sleep and reduced sleep-related impairment, he said.

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"[The participants] reported much improved sleep beyond just the sleep apnea — what we call sleep-related impairment was significantly reduced," Somers said.

The study included participants who were using CPAP and those who were not. Somers said CPAP use generally declined during the study, suggesting that some patients may eventually require less device-based treatment.

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Dr. Wendy Troxel, a RAND senior behavioral scientist in Utah who was not involved in the study, noted that OSA is often under-diagnosed and under-treated, especially among postmenopausal women.

"Although CPAP remains the frontline treatment for sleep apnea, my hope is that greater awareness of treatment options may encourage more people to get screened and seek treatment," she told Fox News Digital.

Somers noted that the condition completely resolved in about 25% of participants without diabetes and 15% of those with type 2 diabetes.

The study’s findings do not mean patients should stop using CPAP or other prescribed treatments, the researchers emphasized. Additional research is needed to determine retatrutide's long-term safety and effectiveness for sleep apnea.

"There’s hope on the horizon," Somers said. "We have the CPAP, we have mandibular devices, we have postural therapy, where you try to avoid sleeping on your back, and now we’ve got drug therapies that can potentially not just reduce your apnea, but also make you sleep better ... and reduce the risk of future cardiovascular events."

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Simple exercise done just once a week could help lower blood pressure

Holding a wall squat for a few minutes might not feel like an intense workout, but a growing body of evidence suggests it could be one of the most effective ways to lower your blood pressure.

A trial published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine found that isometric exercise training, where muscles contract without moving the joints, leads to meaningful drops in resting blood pressure within just four weeks.

Researchers also found that daily exercise may not be necessary to maintain these benefits, as exercising just once a week was enough to preserve some heart-health improvements.

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The study followed 100 inactive adults with normal to high-normal blood pressure, defined as a systolic reading between 120 and 140 millimeters of mercury.

For the first four weeks, the participants performed lower-body isometric wall squats three times a week at home. The routine consisted of four two-minute sessions separated by two minutes of seated rest, monitored using heart-rate straps to ensure consistent effort.

After four weeks, participants’ top blood pressure number (systolic pressure) fell by about 9.5 points on average, while their bottom number (diastolic pressure) also dropped compared with the control group.

Researchers then examined the effects of reduced exercise frequency. During the following four weeks, participants were randomly assigned to train three, two, one or zero times per week.

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Those who stopped exercising completely saw their blood pressure bounce back to baseline within four weeks, essentially wiping out their progress.

In contrast, participants who kept training just once or twice a week managed to hold onto a significant portion of their blood pressure reductions.

Only the group that continued training three times weekly retained key improvements in the following metrics.

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"This is a fascinating study revealing just a little bit of the right exercise even once a week has likely demonstrable cardiovascular benefits in terms of blood pressure reduction," Dr. Aseem Malhotra, a cardiologist and metabolic health specialist at Ovadia Heart Health in Florida, told Fox News Digital.

"It also doesn’t cost anything to do wall squats at home."

Malhotra, who was not involved in the study, noted that physical movement is only one piece of the puzzle.

"In my own personal clinical practice, I regularly see significant improvements in blood pressure with many patients coming off medication just from dietary change alone," he said.

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"A low-carb Mediterranean diet is, in my view, the most substantial and effective intervention – not just for blood pressure, but for all metabolic health markers."

The study cohort was relatively modest in size, consisting of 100 generally healthy, non-smoking adults who were not taking blood pressure medications.

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The findings cannot automatically be generalized to individuals with diagnosed hypertension, older populations with mobility limitations, or patients who are already on heart medications, the researchers acknowledged.

Additionally, because the maintenance phase lasted only four weeks, the researchers noted that longer-term trials are needed to see whether a once-weekly session can sustain blood pressure reductions over months or years.

Because the study involved physical activity, participants and researchers knew each person’s assigned exercise group.

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Blood sugar spikes may be tied to everyday habits you can control, expert says

Everyday habits — from what you eat for breakfast to how much you sleep — can have a significant impact on blood sugar levels, according to a metabolic health expert.

Maintaining healthy blood sugar levels is essential for energy, organ function and overall metabolic health, while frequent or prolonged spikes and drops can contribute to health complications.

Jim LaValle, a Texas-based clinical pharmacist and metabolic medicine expert, told Fox News Digital that understanding how food, exercise, sleep and stress affect blood sugar is key to keeping levels in check.

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LaValle recommends monitoring blood sugar after meals, known as postprandial glucose, to better understand how different foods, beverages and eating habits affect blood sugar levels.

"Do I spike more from eating rice, or do I spike from eating quinoa? How much can I eat?" he said. "I think that's a foundational issue."

The metabolic health expert noted that insulin resistance occurs when cells become less responsive to insulin, a process that can be influenced by inflammation in the body.

Normally, insulin helps move glucose from the bloodstream into muscle cells, where it can be stored as glycogen for later use.

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LaValle said he’s a "big believer" in eating a higher-protein breakfast rather than one that’s heavy in carbs, pointing to naturally elevated cortisol levels in the morning and their potential impact on blood sugar.

"You've got to watch how many sugars are in food, how many refined carbohydrates you're [eating]," he added.

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One of the simplest lifestyle habits to help lower blood sugar, according to LaValle, is taking a 10-minute walk after eating. Regular exercise is an "obvious" healthy practice, he added, although he acknowledged that it's not easy for everyone.

"It’s easy to say, ‘eat better, exercise, sleep better,’ but then people are working 16-hour days or are single parents, they get home, they open up their pantry and destroy a bag of cookies because that's the first thing they can eat and their blood sugar’s plummeted," he said.

Even a little movement after eating can be beneficial, LaValle said, particularly in a modern world that’s "eliminating the need to move."

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LaValle also emphasized the importance of managing stress, which can contribute to insulin resistance.

Along with healthy eating, exercise and stress management, getting adequate sleep is "huge for glucose regulation," he added.

"When you don't sleep and you don’t get enough rest to reset your body for the next day ... all those hormones that are supposed to be getting released get skewed," LaValle said, noting that insulin regulation is particularly affected by inadequate sleep.

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LaValle noted that sleep apnea is often associated with conditions such as diabetes, prediabetes, high blood pressure and obesity, emphasizing the importance of healthy sleep habits.

Hyperarousal of the brain can contribute to insomnia, LaValle added.

For someone who’s "jacked up all day long," feeling overcommitted and anxious, that heightened state of stress can disrupt sleep and, in turn, interfere with glucose regulation.

Inadequate sleep can also affect appetite and eating behaviors, potentially making blood sugar management more difficult.

"Then you're going to start to put weight on and then, when you don't get enough sleep, you’ve got to eat more to fuel your brain," LaValle cautioned.

"So you eat more, you're not efficient at packaging that fuel up, you're moving less ... and those are the things that you have control over."

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