Sleep Tips to Keep Your Internal Clock in Check

As Sunday, November 7 approaches, it’s important to begin preparing yourself and kids for the return to Standard Time. Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November, which means most of the country will turn clocks back one hour.

Adults should get between seven and eight hours of sleep each night. However, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says one in three adults does not get that much sleep on a regular basis, which negatively affects cognitive performance and physical health.

Medical experts at HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital and HSHS Medical Group encourage you to go to bed 10-15 minutes later the days before DST ends to prepare yourself for the time change. This allows your body and brain to adjust slowly rather than in just one night. It’s also important to stay in a bedtime and wake time routine after the clocks fall back because it helps the brain prepare for sleep.

Light is a big environmental factor in your quality of sleep. In the winter we lose daylight so it’s darker earlier which makes our bodies tired earlier. Medical providers suggest you expose yourself to more light during the daytime hours to make the adjustment a little easier on your internal clock.

Other tips to achieve quality sleep include:

• Limit the use of electronics one hour prior to bed to prepare your body and brain for sleep
• Do not go to bed hungry; eat a light, healthy snack at least 30 minutes before bed if necessary
• Keep the bedroom temperature cooler than the rest of the house, if possible
• Avoid caffeine, alcohol and exercise close to bedtime

If you have concerns about sleep patterns, or difficulties falling or staying asleep, talk to your primary care physician to request a referral to HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital’s Sleep Center. Dr. Manjeshwar Prabhu, HSHS Medical Group sleep medicine specialist, also sees patients at HSHS Medical Group’s Pulmonology Specialty Clinic in Effingham.

Learn more about St. Anthony’s Sleep Center’s services by visiting stanthonyshospital.org or calling 217-347-1716. For more information about healthy sleep habits or sleep disorders, visit cdc.gov/sleep.