Daylight Saving: Lose an hour, but gain back your sleep

Sure, we're springing forward. But we're losing an hour of sleep.

This weekend, most Americans will set their clocks one hour ahead for daylightsaving time, which falls on the second Sunday in March. And while an hour may not seem like a huge deal, 32 percent of those surveyed in the National Sleep Foundation's 2008 Sleep in America poll said they only get a good night's sleep a few nights per month.

Losing one hour can lead to crankiness, slower thinking and reaction time. The key is taking a few minutes now - not Saturday before bedtime - to set the stage.

Here are some tips on how not to wake up groggy Monday morning, and for getting a good night's sleep year-round.

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- Prepare for the lost hour. Chris Drake, senior scientist at Henry Ford Sleep Disorders and Research Center in Detroit recommends going to bed 20 to 30 minutes early on Friday night, and adding another 20 to 30 minutes on Saturday night.

- Don't sleep in too late and don't take long naps, says Drake. Both lead to fragmented sleep during nighttime hours, he says.

- Practice good sleep hygiene, says Michael J. Breus, author of ''Good Night: The Sleep Doctor's 4-Week Program to Better Sleep and Better Health.'' Stop exercising, eating and drinking alcohol a few hours before bedtime. Avoid caffeine eight hours before bedtime, according to the National Sleep Foundation, an independent nonprofit organization focusing on sleep and sleep disorders.

- Make your bedroom sleep conducive, says Breus, with a mattress, pillow and sheets appropriate to your sleep needs. The room should be quiet, dark and cool.

- Wind down before going to bed, says Breus, whether it's meditation or reading a novel.

- Dim the lights a half-hour before going to bed, says Drake. Expose yourself to bright light in the morning, whether it's sunlight or from a lamp.

- For children, move their bedtime earlier by 15-20 minutes each night starting Thursday night, says Breus. Don't allow them to sleep in or go to bed late over the weekend. Make sure they are not eating a lot of sugary sweets. Don't give them sleep medication.

Start a wind-down process an hour before their bedtime, hygiene, reading, no Internet or video games, he says.

- Be alert when driving to work Monday morning, says Dr. Meir H. Kryger, director of Sleep Medicine Research and Education at Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford, Conn. Research shows an increase in accidents the day after daylightsaving time begins, says Drake.

- Finally, many fire-safety groups urge people to check batteries in smoke and carbonmonoxide detectors at the same time they change their clocks.