It is the Monday after Daylight Saving Time, an hour of sleep lost. Not only does losing sleep affect our overall health but it can also cause some issues on our roadways.
"We know that people who are sleep deprived, they have elevated cortisol levels which is the stress hormone and that elevates blood pressure. We know it also lowers lymphocytes counts and they are responsible fighting off viral infections," says Dr. Bobby Kahlon from Renown.
Dr. Kahlon says the recommended hours of sleep varies from each person, but everyone should be getting five to eight hours of sleep a night. And when you wake up you should feel alert, "go to bed at the same time everyday, get up the same time, only use your bedroom for sleep."
Due to Daylight Saving Time the sun is going to be rising a bit later than usual, which can cause issues as we head out the door. "Make sure you have sunglasses, your windshield is clean. Whatever you do make sure do not put yourself in a situation where you will lose visibility because that does cause crashes and we do see crashes both in the beginning and the end of Daylight Savings Time," explains Trooper Matt McLaughlin from Nevada Highway Patrol.
