Time to make sleep adjustments for daylight saving switch

The daylight saving switch is this weekend. Now is the time to make sleep adjustments

Sunday is the time to move clocks forward. Precisely speaking, 2 a.m. will become 3 a.m. as clocks are moved one hour ahead. Because this switch happens overnight, it’s perceived that people will lose an hour of sleep. This means many people waking up for school or work Monday will find it dark outside.

This switch can disrupt internal clocks, called a circadian rhythm, and make people feel groggy when they rise in the morning. The switch also pushes daylight deeper into the evening hours, which may also disrupt people's sleeping patterns.

This change can affect productivity and alertness for the next several days. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, following several studies on the issue, has called for the elimination of seasonal time changes to remain permanently in Standard Time.

According to the American Heart Association, there is an increase in heart attacks and strokes every year following the time change. The loss of sleep can lead to fatigue, and thus safety on the roads and in workplaces. But there are ways to minimize the disruption to sleep cycles, according to the CDC.

Here are some tips offered on the CDC website, per Imelda Wong (coordinator of the Center for Work and Fatigue Research), Ph.D. and Beverly Hittle, Ph.D., RN.

• Try to go to bed 15 or 20 minutes earlier each night before the time change;
• Start eating dinner a little earlier each night or exercising slightly earlier in the morning;
• On Saturday night, set your clocks ahead before you go to bed and go to bed at your normal bedtime;
• Go outside for early morning sunlight Sunday. This will help set your “body clock”, which regulates sleep and alertness;
• Be careful when driving or operating machinery Sunday;
• Stick to your bedtime Sunday night before the workweek begins Monday;
• Keep your environment quiet, comfortable and cool;
• Employers should consider reducing critical or physically/mentally demanding tasks, since it can take a week for the body to adapt.