This Sunday, most of the continental U.S. will “spring forward” by turning the clocks ahead one hour. While it’s nice to have more sunlight in the evening, the hour loss disrupts your circadian rhythm and it can take your body up to a week to adjust to the new times for sleeping, eating, and various activities. To allow yourself time to adjust, consider reducing demanding physical and mental tasks as much as possible over the next week.

According to the CDC, the hour change can lead to sleep deprivation, causing an increased risk for mistakes. Workers can improve their adaptation by gradually getting up earlier for a few days before the time change.

With the beginning of daylight saving, also consider replacing the batteries in your smoke detectors. Because smoke alarms are a critical element of home fire safety, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) supports all efforts to reinforce the importance of working batteries. The long-standing “Change Your Clocks, Change Your Batteries” campaign encourages the public to change their smoke alarm batteries when moving clocks ahead in the spring and turning them back in the fall.

Credit: CDC, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

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