Spring the Clocks Forward on Sunday for Daylight Savings Time, Tips for Lost Sleep

By Jesse Wood

While most of us sleep on Sunday, March 13, daylight savings time starts and the clocks will “spring forward” one whole hour from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m.

Daylight Savings
Image from www.timeanddate.com

In light of the hour of lost sleep, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center offers sleep tips on how to prepare for daylight saving time and avoid mishaps potentially caused by drowsiness.

The Better Sleep Council reported that 61 percent of Americans “report feeling negative effects of daylight savings time the Monday after resetting their clocks” and 4 percent of people said they have been involved in traffic accidents on the Monday following the time change because of lack of sleep, according to a release from the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Sandhya Kumar, M.D., assistant professor of neurology and medical director of the Sleep Medicine Center at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, said that a 23-hour Sunday “can affect more than you think and said planning ahead of the time change would be wise, especially for the night owls and teenagers.

“Night owls have a harder time adjusting to this time change as opposed to early birds,” Kumar said. “Teenagers are affected the most by this change as their internal biological clock physiologically shifts them to go to bed late and wake up late. The average teen is chronically sleep deprived and the spring time change adds another hour of lost sleep to the problem.”

Here are some tips from the Better Sleep Council that Kumar recommends to start daylight savings times on the right foot:

  • Gradually transition into the time change by going to bed 15 minutes early several days before the time change.
  • Strive to get the required 7-8 hours of nightly sleep
  • Maintain a cool temperature in the bedroom and make it dark and quiet.
  • Use your bedroom only for sleep. Avoid watching television or using any electronic media in your bedroom at night.
  • Avoid caffeine and nicotine after lunch and alcohol before bed.
  • Create a bedtime ritual that is relaxing. Experts recommend reading a book, listening to soothing music or soaking in a hot bath or shower.
  • Avoid clock-watching. Use your clock’s alarm functions and turn the clock’s face away from the bed so you can’t see it.