End of Daylight Saving Time Could Be Heart-Wrenching

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Oct. 30

Dr. David Rapoport, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at New York University Langone School of Medicine in New York City, has these suggestions for individuals who already have sleep problems:

Go to bed at your regular time and wake up at the new time. "It's money in the bank. You've paid back a debt," Rapoport said.

Don't use the extra hour to work or party. "You will be using this freebie to add to your fun but not pay back your debt," he said.

Move your body into sync with what's happening outside in terms of light. For example, go for a 15-minute walk toward the end of the day while the sun is still out. "Walking facing the sun without sunglasses is an excellent way to push your clock back," Rapoport said. (In the spring, reverse this and take the walk in the morning.)

"In our society, almost everybody is sleep deprived and this is a golden opportunity to catch up on it," Rapoport said.

SOURCES: Imre Janszky, M.D., Ph.D., department of public health sciences, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden; Susan Zafarlotfi, Ph.D., clinical director, Institute for Sleep-Wake Disorders, Hackensack University Medical Center, New Jersey; David Rapoport, M.D., director, Sleep Disorders Center, New York University Langone School of Medicine, New York City; Oct. 30, 2008, New England Journal of Medicine