Sleeping Tips During the Switch to Standard Time

Employees may have returned to work yesterday feeling well-rested due to the switch to standard time and the extra hour they gained last weekend. However, one hour of extra sleep is not enough to erase chronic sleep debt. In addition, many people suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) this time of year, when darkness comes earlier in the evening.

Experts at the Center for Sleep Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and the Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorders Center in Ohio offer tips to help workers feel well-rested all year long, CNN reports.

The switch to standard time is a good opportunity to implement healthy sleep practices:

• Avoid eating a large meal before bedtime and cut off your caffeine intake in the afternoon
• Reduce your fluid intake before bed and avoid alcohol around this time
• Go to bed around the same time each night and making sure you’re going to sleep early enough to get seven to eight hours of rest
• About 30 minutes before bedtime, begin shutting off electronics to limit your exposure to light
• If after 20 minutes you can’t fall asleep, get out of bed and do a quiet activity like meditation.

The change from Daylight Savings Time can trigger SAD. Some common symptoms include irritability, extreme fatigue, inability to concentrate, carbohydrate cravings, anxiety, and withdrawal from social activities.

People with SAD should try to expose themselves to bright, natural light when possible. Those in gloomier parts of the country can use a light box to mimic sunlight.