World Sleep Day 2013 on Respiratory Decade and the return of daylight saving time

World Sleep Day is an annual event, intended to be a celebration of sleep and a call to action on important issues related to sleep, including medicine, education, social aspects and driving. 

This weekend marks the return of daylight saving time for most of the United States. To help ensure a smooth transition to the new time, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends that you begin to adjust your sleep schedule a few days prior to the beginning of daylight saving time.

AASM offers the following tips to help you cope with the upcoming change to daylight saving time:

• Try to go to bed 15 or 20 minutes earlier each night before the time change. This will give your body a chance to adjust.
• Begin to adjust the timing of other daily routines that are “time cues” for your body. For example, start eating dinner a little earlier each night.
• On Saturday night, set your clocks ahead one hour in the early evening. Then go to sleep at your normal bedtime.
• Try to go outside for some early morning sunlight on Sunday. The bright light will help set your “body clock,” which regulates sleep and alertness.
• Be careful when driving or operating machinery if you feel drowsy on Sunday.
• Stick to your bedtime on Sunday night to get plenty of sleep before the workweek begins on Monday.