Still tired after the time change? A Las Vegas sleep expert explains whyLAS VEGAS We may have gained an extra hour with the recent time change, but if youre still feeling tired or a little out of sync, youre not alone.
The switch back to standard time can disrupt the bodys internal clock, even though many people think of it as the time change where we get an extra hour of sleep.
Tricia Kean spoke with Dr. Jerry Hu of Nevada Dental Sleep Medicine about why some people may have a harder time adjusting and what they can do to get their sleep schedule back on track.
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Changing a whole hour sometimes could be a lot for people, especially if they only get a few hours of sleep, if theyre shift workers, like they work in the casino or whatnot, Hu said.
That can be especially relevant here in Las Vegas, where casino, hospitality, health care, public safety and other workers often have schedules that dont follow a traditional 9-to-5 workday.
Hu says consistency is important when it comes to maintaining your bodys internal clock, or circadian rhythm.
Rather than drastically changing your sleep schedule all at once, he recommends making smaller adjustments.
So its very important that if they can stick to a routine, and if they need to change things, only change it by 15-minute increments, Hu said.
Daylight can also play a role
Its not just your bedtime that matters.
Hu says getting enough daylight during the day can help the body maintain its natural sleep-wake cycle.
During the daytime, you want to have enough daylight also to keep your biologic clock and internal circadian rhythm in check, Hu said.
For people still struggling with the time change, Hus advice is relatively simple: try to maintain a consistent bedtime and wake-up time, make changes gradually and get daylight during the day.
For Southern Nevadans working overnight, early-morning or other non-traditional shifts, keeping that consistency may be more challenging. But Hu says even small adjustments can help keep the bodys internal clock on track.