Tips for Adjusting to Time Change as Clocks Fall Back this Weekend
While the time change provides an additional hour of slumber, sleep experts from Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago warn that the one hour shift in time can be disruptive to sleep patterns and recommend people use the end of daylight saving time as a time to evaluate their sleep habits.
Nov. 6 marks the official end of daylight saving time as clocks are pushed back one hour. While the time change provides an additional hour of slumber, sleep experts from Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago warn that the one hour shift in time can be disruptive to sleep patterns and recommend people use the end of daylight saving time as a time to evaluate their sleep habits.
"Sleep problems are widespread and on the rise, yet many people dismiss the issue and don't realize the consequences that can result," said Hrayr Attarian, MD, neurologist at Northwestern Memorial and associate professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "As people reset their clocks, they should also take this opportunity to reset their sleep habits in order to avoid possible health consequences. Sleep deprivation has been linked to obesity, trouble with memory and learning, and a higher incidence of diabetes and high blood pressure."
Attarian recommends that even though we are gaining an hour, you should still go to bed at the same time. Doing so will help make sure you don't start Monday sleep deprived. To help you sleep well this weekend and throughout the year, Attarian offers the following tips on proper sleep habits.
1. Go to bed when you are sleepy and stick to a set rise time. You cannot force yourself to fall asleep, but you can always get up when you need to. Not sleeping in may help consolidate your sleep at night.
2. Make sure the bedroom is only for going to sleep. It shouldn't be a place to watch TV, do work, surf the Internet, or eat. That way your body knows that when you get into bed, it's time to go to sleep.
3. Exercise can give your body something to rest from and help you stay asleep at night. To allow enough wind-down time, it's best to complete exercise at least two to three hours before going to bed.
4. Take a hot shower then get into a cool bed. The drop in your body's temperature after taking a hot shower and entering a cooler room is a process that naturally mimics day and night, and may help guide you to sleep.
5. Jot down your to-do list for the next day and put it aside so you feel organized and can avoid racing thoughts that may prevent you from falling and staying asleep.
6. Avoid activities such as going online or watching TV that will hold your interest and keep you engaged. Listening to music or reading something that you find mindless in a dimly lit area may help you feel sleepy.
The end of daylight saving time also means an earlier sundown, leading to more nighttime driving for many. According to Phyllis Zee, MD, Ph.D., director of Northwestern Memorial's Sleep Disorders Center, drowsy driving can lead to more accidents on the road.
"There is a significant increase in the number of car accidents in the days following the end of daylight saving time, which many attribute to lack of alertness from insufficient sleep," said Zee, who is a professor of neurology, neurobiology, and physiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. It seems contradictory that accidents would increase when an extra hour is actually gained with the shift from DST in the fall. Perhaps, in anticipation of the longer day, many people are tempted to stay up later on the weekend, which can lead to dangerous late night driving while drowsy. It is important to recognize that the increased risk of accidents associated with shifts to and from DST result from the need of the biological clock to adjust to the time change, as well as behavioral factors. For most sleep-deprived Americans, the best thing to do is to take advantage of the end of DST to gain an extra hour of sleep.”