Sleep Well

I just finished a 15-city radio media tour talking about Daylight Savings Time and what we all need to watch out for in terms of how it affects our sleep.

As you all know, we have all “sprung” forward, or lost 1 hour of sleep (Unless you live in one of those states that does not participate in daylight savings, which I do :-)). There can be several consequences of this sleep loss:

1. Slower thinking and slower reaction time. There are more car accidents in the 2-3 days following Daylight Savings than on any other day of the year.
2. Moodiness and exhaustion. One hour of sleep loss can cause increased fatigue and irritability.
3. Tired children. If you are a parent, you should realize that not only are you losing an hour, but so are your children — and this can have a big effect on their little circadian systems. When my wife and I took our 6 month old to Alaska, it took him about 4 days to get on the right time schedule — and since he usually woke at 7 a.m., he was waking up at 3-4 a.m., and we were both asleep in our tiny cruise ship cabin — what a mess!)

So what can you do about this lost hour of sleep?

1. Go to bed 1/2 hour earlier and sleep 1/2 an hour later. This will help your body begin to adjust.
2. Go in late to work for a few days. Tell the office your sleep doctor told you to do so.
3. Watch out for late evening caffeine consumption. Try to move to decaf by 2 pm.
4. Make your bedroom more sound for sleep. Use aromatherapy to help set the mood for sleep. I like lavender and vanilla — check out the cool stuff at Bath and Body Works.
5. Relax. Consider my yoga and meditation recommendations in my book.
6. Dim the lights. Make sure to have a dimly lit room. Change the bulbs to 45 watts and use a book light when reading — I like the LightWedge.
7. Keep out the sun and street lamps. Consider eye shades or blackout curtains that really block out the light.

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: Daylight Savings Time and Sleep
• WebMD Video: Tips Body Clock and Health

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