Surviving daylight saving time change: Tips from a sleep medicine physician

Daylight saving is happening early Sunday at 2 a.m., with the clock moving forward one hour… so we all may be a little more sleepy as we adjust to waking up an hour earlier.

Dr. Alexander Cho, a sleep medicine physician with Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills provides some tips to ease into the "spring forward" change.

Since the change happens basically Saturday night, Cho suggests going to bed earlier; an hour is ideal but even 20 minutes earlier will help.  

Getting sunlight in the morning when waking up is one of the best ways to adjust sleep schedules according to Cho. "So when you wake up in the morning try to expose yourself to as much sunlight as possible, that will help to reset your clock," said Cho. "In addition, try to keep your wakeup time, especially this next week a little consistent so your body will have time to adjust, and another thing is to keep your daytime routine similar."

The daytime routines include the time you eat, keep it regular.

For children, Cho said over the weekend, try not to let the kids sleep in – this will help them to be ready for the earlier school start time Monday.

 Surviving the time change tips:

-gradually adjust your sleep schedule

-create a bedtime routine

-get plenty of sunlight

-practice good sleep hygiene