Santa Rosa Kaiser doctor shares tips for sleep deprivation before Daylight Saving Time
On Sunday, as most of the nation switches to Daylight Saving Time, the 85 million adults in the United States who already suffer from chronic insomnia may lose another hour of sleep, exacerbating what is already a national health problem, said Dr. Nirupam Singh, a sleep medicine specialist at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Rosa.
While many welcome the spring change that moves the clocks forward an hour, giving up daylight in the morning for more in the evening, it can have immediate effects on our sleep patterns and our safety, says Singh.
The number of car accidents, for example, has been shown to increase by 6% during the work week immediately following spring break, he noted. “Drowsy driving is drunk driving,” he said.
Singh, who is also a pulmonary critical care specialist, said that lack of sleep in general affects every part of the body and is associated with heart disease, blood sugar, cholesterol, stroke and mental health problems such as depression.
“Sleep deprivation is a public health problem, and this one day makes it worse,” she said.
“But maybe people can use this as something that helps them get more sleep consistently,” Singh said.
Kaiser’s sleep expert suggested people start going to bed and waking up earlier by adding 15 minutes to the days leading up to the one-hour shift, which is scheduled for 2 a.m. on Sunday.
When you wake up, try to expose yourself to the morning light to start changing your body clock, he said. Other suggestions include keeping TV and phone screens out of the bedroom and avoiding late meals – both of which can disrupt sleep patterns.
“Will power is very difficult, but you just have to put the systems in place that allow you to do that,” he said. “So maybe you set up a schedule where your WiFi goes out for half an hour or an hour soon throughout the day, for the whole family, so everyone can sleep better.”
Singh said these measures to increase sleep can have a significant impact on health and long-term health.
Not everyone is equally affected by Daylight Savings Time; the effect depends on a person’s timing, or body clock, he said, adding that some people are night owls while others are morning people.
For example, teenagers have a delayed sleep phase, “which means you live in California but your body clock is somewhere in Hawaii.”
The body clock changes with age. Children start out as “morning people,” waking up early in the morning. As children grow and reach adolescence, they become night owls.
“And as we get older, most of the older people are morning people again,” she said. But screens have changed our circadian rhythm.
“Artificial light pushes the body clock toward Hawaii,” Singh said. “Light is one of the most powerful things we have…Morning light will push you to the East Coast.”
That’s why exposure to morning light after the time change on Sunday will help your body adjust and avoid what feels like jet lag, he said.
For those who have trouble falling asleep quickly, Singh recommends a “very low dose” of melatonin, between half a milligram and one milligram.
“It’s best to take half a milligram around 6 or 7 pm to help reset your body clock,” he said.
You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com.
