RALEGH, N.C. (WNCN) — One extra hour of sleep is coming soon — just wait less than two weeks and you’ve made it.
Many folks look forward to the “fall back” time change — even though it means some people might not leave work until the sun has gone down.
The switch out of Daylight Saving Time is on Nov. 5 this year, meaning many people will now miss out on sunsets.
But, there is one very positive aspect: An extra hour of sleep, because at 2 a.m. that Sunday, the clock will simply remain in place for 60 minutes — or “fall back” from 3 a.m. to 2 a.m.
With extra time to snooze, UNC-Chapel Hill researchers say a lack of sleep can lead to health consequences.
Dr. Mary Ellen Wells, an associate professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, is the program director of the Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science Program.
The fall time change even results in a measurable change in some key things, she says.
“In the spring, you do see the increases in motor vehicle accidents and other issues around that time loss. But in the fall, there’s actually a decrease with that as opposed to the spring,” Wells said.
A lack of sleep is connected to different possible health problems such as memory, daytime sleepiness, vehicle accidents, obesity and even irritability, Wells said. Functional cognitive impairment is linked to not having enough sleep.
So, an extra sleep hour is coming soon — just hang in there for a few more days.
