Early this coming Sunday morning, our clocks and cell phones will play a dirty little trick on all of us by “springing forward” an hour at 2 a.m., leaving a lot Greater Cincinnatians with an hour less of our Sunday to enjoy.
Granted, it happens every year to almost everyone in the U.S. on the second Sunday in March, so we should be prepared. But, if you’re like most of us, you never are. The result, lots of grouchy people for at least the first half of next week.
In fact, according to the National Sleep Foundation, most of us lose an average of about 40 more minutes of sleep when we “spring forward” than we would have on a typical night. Add to that the fact that in ensuing days we wake up to what seems like “darker” mornings, while the sun seems to stay up longer in the evening, and you can see why some of us ““ particularly shift workers ““ end up a little groggy for a while.
But, St. Elizabeth Sleep Disorders Center Specialist, Dr. Neal Moser, says you can do some things now to minimize problems, although most people will be back on track sleep-wise by Tuesday or Wednesday. If, however, you already have sleep problems or you’re a shift worker, you’re probably going to get hit a little harder by this late winter time adjustment because it tends to aggravate existing sleep-phase deficits.
Here are three tips Dr. Moser says you can try to reduce your chances of a sleepy week ahead:
- Maintain a regular sleep schedule in the days leading up to “springing forward”
You’re probably going to get hit harder by the time change if you’ve already been having a tough time getting the required seven to nine hours of sleep recommended nightly this week. Do what you can though over the next two days to obtain that amount of shut-eye.
- Pay particularly close attention to the environment you sleep in
“Keep the bedroom cool, quiet, comfortable and dark,” advises Dr. Moser. In fact, if white noise helps, try turning on a fan. The low hum lulls many to sleep ““ in fact, it’s even offered to patients at the sleep center to facilitate rest.
- Tap into the power of the natural hormone, melatonin, for a little extra push into dreamland
“Take 5 milligrams of melatonin (available at drug stores and health food stores) at night about one hour prior to sleep,” said Dr. Moser. “It may help adjust your internal clock.”
