Sleep doctor shares how to keep good sleep habits through daylight saving
BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – As daylight saving time approaches, a sleep expert shared the importance of a consistent sleep schedule.
This weekend, daylight saving time makes people lose one hour of their sleep in the middle of the night. Sleep expert Dr. Rajesh Harrykissoon shared why sleep is important to the human body and gave tips on maintaining a sleep schedule during daylight saving time.
“Set up a routine, just like you have a routine for showing up to work,” said Dr. Rajesh HarryKissoon, Practicing Physician at Pulmonary Critical Care and Sleep Medicine. “You have to give the same diligence to the sleep schedule, just have a set bedtime and a set wake time that allows for sufficient time to wake up feeling rested.”
Sleep is imperative for day-to-day functions such as how well you think, react, work, learn, and get along with others, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website. Sleep deprivation can also have negative effects on the body’s internal functions.
“Apart from feeling rested and refreshed, which is a great feeling to have, sleep deprivation can confer some health issues in the long run,” said Harrykissoon. “It may, over a long period of time, increase our risk for cardiovascular disease and strokes and high blood pressure and so on.”
Dr Harrykissoon said it’s best to start practicing an earlier bedtime before Sunday to keep from feeling the effects of daylight-saving time loss this weekend.
“If you don’t have any obligations going into the weekend… go to bed an hour earlier Friday night and then maintain that through the daylight-saving transition,” said Harrykissoon.
To help get to sleep earlier, people should avoid electronics an hour before bedtime, dim lights and sleep in a dark, calm, and quiet environment, said Harrykissoon.
For more information on getting better sleep, view Baylor Scott and White Health’s resources here.
