Daylight Savings Time And The Importance Of Proper Sleep
March 2, 2020
Body
Prepare to lose one hour sleep when clocks spring forward on March 8, 2020
The Center for Sleep Medicine at Orange Regional Medical Center recognizes the importance of public education and awareness when it comes to the time change and proper sleep. This year, clocks will spring forward one hour on March 8, eliminating one hour of rest for the average person.
According to Dr. Samer El Zarif, Associate Medical Director of Orange Regional Medical Center’s Center for Sleep Medicine, diagnosing sleep disorders early on can lead to a better night’s sleep and a healthier life overall.
“Sleep disorders can be associated with high blood pressure, headaches, heart disease, heart attack, chronic fatigue and even death,” he added.
Common sleep disorders can include sleep apnea, insomnia, restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy, and shift work disorder – a sleep disorder characterized by insomnia and excessive sleepiness affecting people whose work hours overlap with the typical sleep period.
The National Sleep Foundation offers the following tips to get a good night’s sleep:
- Establish a regular sleep schedule
- Practice a relaxing “wind-down” bedtime routine
- Avoid nicotine and caffeine close to bedtime
- Exercise daily
- Create a sleep-conducive environment that is dark, quiet and comfortable
Dr. Alan Schaffer is Medical Director of The Center for Sleep Medicine. Dr. Schaffer has over 20 years of experience in Sleep Medicine. In addition to his expertise, the Center is staffed by Board-certified physicians and sleep specialists and is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Dr. El Zarif holds Board certifications in internal, pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. He also serves as an adjunct assistant professor at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Middletown, NY.
If you think you may have a sleep disorder, see your physician. He or she can order a sleep study. The sleep study, called a polysomnogram, will help diagnose the severity and type of sleep apnea or other disorder. If you don’t have a physician, call Orange Regional Medical Group at 845-333-7575.
For more information about sleep services at Orange Regional Medical Center or to find out if you are at risk for a sleep disorder, visit www.ormc.org/sleepcenter.
The Center for Sleep Medicine at Orange Regional Medical Center
Sleep study services performed at Orange Regional Medical Center’s Center for Sleep Medicine, located at the Orange Regional Medical Center Pavilion, 75 Crystal Run Road in the Town of Wallkill, aid in the diagnosis of potential sleep disorders in adults and children ages 2 and up. A sleep study is a painless, non-invasive test that allows specially-trained technicians to monitor a patient’s breathing, heart rate, blood oxygen levels, eye movement, muscle tone and other factors. Sleep studies take place in our state-of-the-art facility and offer the latest diagnostic technology in a comfortable and modern environment.