Standard Time Returns... Will You Sleep an Extra Hour? National Sleep Foundation and Mattress Gallery Help You Prepare for ``Fall Back'' Time Change.

Lifestyle Editors

KENT, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 26, 2002

Twice a year, most of the nation changes its clocks at 2:00 a.m. -- on the first Sunday in April, when clocks "spring forward" an hour for Daylight Saving Time, and the last Sunday in October, when they "fall back" one hour to return to Standard Time. Because the time change occurs in the middle of the night, sleep cycles can be disturbed, especially in the spring when many people "lose" an hour of sleep. But as clocks move back Sunday morning (October 27), and you "gain back" an hour of the day, will you sleep an hour more? Probably not, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) and Mattress Gallery.

"Many people have difficulties adjusting to both time changes," said Richard L. Gelula, NSF's executive director. "But in the fall, earlier light exposure in the morning may cause people to wake up earlier. Because they may sleep less, it could mean more daytime sleepiness," he said. Gelula noted that "larks," may find the fall time change particularly difficult, because they already have a tendency to awaken early in the morning and get sleepy in the early evening.

NSF's 2002 Sleep in America poll found that more than one-third of Americans (37%) said they are so sleepy during the day it interferes with their activities at least a few days a month and one in six (16%) reported these symptoms a few days a week or more. Young adults (18-29) were the most likely to say they experienced daytime sleepiness.

"There are steps people can take to help them adjust to the time change," said Terry Horsley, Executive Vice President of Mattress Gallery. NSF and Mattress Gallery offer these five tips:

Maintain your regular bedtime Saturday night, when clocks move back, and awaken at your regular time. This can give you an "extra" hour of sleep the next morning and help reduce your sleep debt.

Block out light and keep your sleeping area dark. Standard time means sunrise will occur about an hour earlier. This can impact sleep, especially for people accustomed to awakening before or around sunrise. The light itself can also disturb sleep. It is always best to sleep in a darkened room until you wake up.

Increase the light when you wake up. Light has an alerting affect that may help you wake up. It will also help adjust your biological clock to the "new" sleep schedule.

If you are a "lark" and tend to be wide awake and energetic in the morning and sleepy early in the evening, start a few days ahead; a gradual delay in bedtime and awakening a few days before the time change may help you adjust to the change.

Difficulty adjusting to the time change -- staying awake at night or sleeping until your desired wake up time may be helped by gradually moving bedtime and awakening later by 15 minutes every one to two days.

The National Sleep Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public health and safety by achieving understanding of sleep and sleep disorders, and supporting public education, sleep-related research, and advocacy. Visit the NSF Web site for more information about sleep and sleep-related issues, www.sleepfoundation.org.

Mattress Gallery works with NSF as a Community Sleep Awareness Partner(R) (CSAP) to help educate the people of Washington and Oregon about important sleep issues. Mattress Gallery is the only mattress store in the Pacific Northwest with certified mattress experts.