Thanks to daylight saving time, we get to “spring forward” an hour and reset our clocks at 2 a.m. March 10. And that loss of an hour’s worth of sleep may mean some of us will be a little less alert.
Safety messages for unsuspecting citizens have been sent out from traffic safety folks at AAA East Central and children’s doctors. And while we’re at it, we’ve got some timely reminders to change the batteries of our smoke detectors and get rid of potentially dangerous drugs in the family medicine cabinet.
Darker morning commutes on Monday are on the way, and that poses more dangers for pedestrians and children waiting at bus stops, according to AAA East Central spokeswoman Theresa Podguski.
“Moreover, less sleep can lead to an increase in the number of drowsy drivers,” she said, “so motorists should prepare themselves to adjust to losing an hour of sleep and then driving in darker conditions.”
AAA lists some common symptoms of drowsy driving: trouble with keeping your eyes open, drifting into another lane and not remembering the last few miles driven.
Adding an hour to your sleep Saturday night may help offset the time change due to daylight saving time, AAA tells us. If you’re moving by foot, the agency said pedestrians should be extra careful, particularly on crosswalks, and carrying a flashlight while walking in the dark is always a good idea.
Changes in sleeping patterns in children and teens have been noticed when times change this time of year, so doctors at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus said maintaining a healthy sleep schedule is important, particularly for patients with a mental health diagnosis.
“Sleep is a more complicated issue for patients with a mental health disorder,” said Robert Kowatch, child and adolescent psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist at Nationwide Children’s. “Different conditions affect sleep differently, as do various medications for these conditions and their related side effects. These patients may be more sensitive to time changes than the typical child or teen.”
For all children, with or without mental health disorders, sleep quality can be better by following experts’ advice to turn off or remove from the bedroom all devices, such as phones, tablets or TVs. They also recommend light snacks only before bed, a dark and cool bedroom, and no exercise right before bed.
Turning clocks ahead one hour is always a good time to install smoke, carbon-monoxide, and natural-gas detectors/alarms as well as check existing alarm batteries, according to Allegheny County’s Emergency Services Chief Matthew J. Brown. He said almost three out of five home fire deaths happen in places with no smoke alarms or no working alarms.
Mr. Brown said this weekend’s also a good time to make and practice an escape plan and build an emergency kit.
The standing date with the time change is another opportunity to take action to protect people from unused and potentially unsafe medicines in their homes, according to the county district attorney’s office.
Cleaning out the medicine cabinet can be done safely by later depositing unused or expired prescription and over-the-counter medications into medication collection boxes located in the lobbies of more than 20 police departments.
The DA’s office, through a grant administered by the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association, has put boxes at the police departments in Baldwin Borough, Bellevue, Brentwood, Castle Shannon, City of Pittsburgh (Western Avenue), Crafton, Dormont, Elizabeth Township, Green Tree, Hampton, Indiana Township, Jefferson Hills, Leetsdale, Leet, Moon, McKeesport, Northern Regional, Ohio Township, Pitcairn, Ross, Sewickley Borough, Shaler, South Fayette and Turtle Creek.
First Published: March 9, 2019, 9:43 p.m.
