Effects of Daylight Saving Time should only last a couple days, but sleep disorders on the rise

Having a ‘case of the Mondays’ is never more true than the day after Daylight Saving Time.

“Studies show that there are a lot more car accidents following daylight saving time. There are a lot more call-ins to work. People wake up and they are not use to feeling as groggy as they are,” said Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital, Sleep Medicine Center Manager, Claude Evans.

Springing forward means we lose a precious hour of sleep, and that hour is more important than some realize.

“In the morning that last hour of sleep is crucial because it’s called a rem period. And that’s not the deepest stage of sleep, but it is a very good stage of sleep that you’re depriving yourself of,” said Evans.

The effects of the time change should only last a couple of days. Many will go back to sleeping soundly, others will not. Sleep disorders are on the rise.

“They are on the rise and I think under-diagnosed because people don’t talk about it,” said Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital Sleep Medicine Doctor Khalid Rauf.

The Sleep Medicine Center at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital is booked two months out.

“We look for a few things. One is how many times a person stops breathing during the night, how many times in an hour, and how much oxygen drops down,” said Rauf.

Over 100 sleeping disorders are being diagnosed at the Sleep Medicine Center. The top three are Sleep Apnea, Insomnia, and Narcolepsy.

So what’s causing this rise in sleep disorders? Technology is certainly not helping.

“This technology has lot of issues. People are on their iPad and iPhones, especially the young children. And when people are sleeping they want to make sure there is no light in the room, because that effects the sleep cycle,” said Rauf.