Time Change Leads to More Loss Than Sleep

This Sunday, the country will spring forward for Daylight Savings Time. We all will lose one hour of sleep, but some may lose much more. Research predicts that for the few days following the time change, traffic accidents will spike and people will experience more heart attacks.

Daylight Savings Time, like jet lag and working the night shift, are man-made conditions that disturb the natural biorhythms which regulate sleep and alertness, causing tiredness and high levels of stress hormone release. Driving can be impaired by slower reflexes and less vigilance and hormonal changes can encourage abnormal heart rhythms and clotting of the blood vessels of the heart.

The following tips from Bronson Sleep Health in Portage may help to prevent the effects of this seemingly minor change of the clock from leading to serious, even fatal, consequences.

• Go to bed 10-15 minutes earlier each night for a few days before the clock changes.
• Get up each morning 10-15 minutes earlier.
• Sit in the sunlight early in the morning while reading, having breakfast or just relaxing. This sunlight exposure helps you adjust to earlier rising.

“Most people adjust to the new schedule within just a few days and do well,” said Bronson Sleep Health’s Mark G. Goetting, MD, a board certified physician and lecturer who specializes in sleep disorders. “So save yourself some unpleasantness and maybe even your life. Plan ahead.”

Goetting is active in research and national health policy formation regarding sleep disorders and has been listed in “Best Doctors in America” since 1996. Bronson Sleep Health treats those with sleep troubles with a comprehensive diagnosis, plus treatment and education for all sleep/wake disorders, including advanced approaches to sleep apnea and non-invasive ventilation.

Bronson Sleep Health is located at 3200 Centre Avenue, Suite 203 in Portage. Visit bronsonhealth.com or call (269) 324-0799 to learn more.