Sunday will be bittersweet.
Some will lose an hour of sleep because of daylight saving time, but everyone will enjoy the benefits of an extra hour of sunshine.
The official moment of change is 2 a.m. Sunday, though most people will set their clocks ahead by one hour before they go to sleep Saturday night.
Daylight-saving time, which ends Nov. 7, coincides with "National Sleep Awareness Week" and some A&M professors are taking it as chance to bring recognition to the importance of healthy sleeping habits.
"In terms of ramifications for health and the economy, sleep probably has one of the greatest impacts in both areas when you stop to really think about it," said David Earnest, a professor in the department of neuroscience and experimental therapeutics with more than 30 years experience in sleep-related research.
Being able to perform at top levels, he said, is essential for a functioning economy, and healthy sleeping habits are essential for top performance levels to be reached.
He cited lack of sleep as a contributing factor in both the Exxon Valdez oil spill off the Alaskan coast and Chernobyl as examples.
Experts recommend keeping children on a normal sleep schedule for daylight-saving time and discourage delaying bedtime or allowing the child to sleep in to compensate for the change.
Instead, start a day or two in advance and slowly move bedtime earlier.
Adults should maintain normal sleep schedules as well and can nap to help adjust, according to experts in the department.
"The spring change often is much harder for people to adjust to," Earnest said, adding the same results were seen in experiments with animals. "Not only because you're losing an hour of sleep, but it's harder for our bodies to adjust when the clock moves forward rather than back. It takes us a little longer."
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