Timely Subject
Daylight-saving time ends this weekend with people setting their clocks back an hour before going to bed Saturday.
And, really, what's better than sleeping in on a Sunday? How about dodging the days-long consequences of adjusting to the new regime of sunlight?
In that case, don't spend that extra hour in bed. Sleep experts say it will do you few favors in the long run.
It's easy to understand why setting clocks ahead one hour in the spring, “springing forward,” can throw people off, but why would getting an extra hour of sleep take a toll on our body clocks and what do we need to do to reset them?
Dr. Kevin Caridad, owner of the Cognitive Behavior Institute, a 26-room outpatient mental health clinic at 125 Emeryville Drive, Suite 230, in Cranberry Township, said feeling out of sorts, tired and grumpy after the time change is very real.
Caridad said this fatigue is caused by the effect on a person's circadian rhythms. A person's body clock is a cluster of neurons deep inside the brain that generates the circadian rhythm, also known as the sleep-wake cycle. The cycle spans roughly 24 hours, but it's not precise.
Caridad said, “Time shifts can impact the circadian rhythm. It can make us more fatigued and that can make us more prone to have an accident.”However, this weekend's change may be less stressful than the one in the spring.“I do a lot of sleep work with a lot of people with insomnia and sleep issues,” said Jacki Herring, a psychologist with Malec, Herring & Krause, 195 Crowe Ave., Mars.“Studies have shown in the spring there are more heart attacks and car accidents the day after the clocks change,” said Herring. “In the fall, there are fewer than average.”Maybe this can be attributed to the extra sleep being less disruptive to the individual's circadian rhythm, but nobody goes through the switch with no effects.In fact, according to Dr. Shripal Shrishrimal, medical director for pulmonary medicine, sleep medicine and respiratory therapy at Butler Memorial Hospital and director of its sleep center, the time shifts in the spring and fall can cause the same symptoms as those experienced by travelers who cross time zones or shift workers constantly changing schedules.These include difficulty concentrating, fatigue and moodiness.Herring said, “It can cause a bump in your mood for a week or so. A large study has shown a clock change can cause an increase in depression that can last up to 10 weeks.”
But Herring said not all the depression can be attributed to the single lost hour of sleep.“There's the increasing darkness and the anticipation of the coming winter,” she said.Shrishrimal said, “It takes time to get adjusted to the new wake/sleep cycle.”Caridad added, “It's been shown it takes about five days to adjust in the fall and seven days to adjust in the spring.”Herring said, “The body adjusts easier to the fall change than it does to the phase advance in the spring.”Fortunately, Caridad, Herring and Shrishrimal said there are easy ways to minimize any ill effects.It's a little late for this weekend, but Caridad suggests next fall going to bed a little early for a few days before the fallback.Each day for the four days leading up to the change go to bed 15 minutes earlier, so that by Sunday morning, your body is used to being in bed an hour earlier, said Caridad.
Shrishrimal said the circadian rhythm needs a signal to reset itself.The signal is sunlight, which shines in through the eyes and can help correct the cycle, he said.“Light is the biggest cue to adjust our cycles,” said Shrishrimal. “It's really helpful to see sunlight when we wake up.”“Morning sunlight is very important,” said Herring. “If you go out in the morning and get the sun in your eyes, you can help regulate your mood and sleep.”Many might see this weekend's extra hour as an excuse to stay up later and sleep in, but that would be a mistake, Herring said.Instead, try to get up at the same time. Use the extra hour to go for a morning walk or make a hearty breakfast.The good thing Shrishrimal, Caridad and Herring all agree, is that within a week or slightly longer the body clock will reset itself to adjust to the new schedule.Now would be a good time to consider your sleep hygiene, said Shrishrimal.While light may be a good way to reset the circadian rhythms, it can also interfere with getting a good night's rest.“Your smart phones produce white light. You shouldn't use your phones in bed or watch TV in bed,” said Shrishrimal.He also recommends abstaining from coffee and chocolate for two or three hours before bedtime.“Read a book, listen to music, meditate,” he said. “A glass of warm milk contains tryptophan it will aid in getting to sleep.”“You don't have to be given meds or use a light box,” said Shrishrimal.
