Palmetto Health provides “Springing Forward Sleep Tidbits” to help you sleep better

By Antoinette Williams Rutherford, M.D.,
Palmetto Health-USC Medical Group

Since everyone had to adjust to the time change over the weekend, Antoinette Williams Rutherford, M.D., Palmetto Health-USC Medical Group sleep medicine physician, wants to provide you with a few tips to help improve your sleep as you adjust. She suggests:

• Enjoy bright light early in the morning. Say hello to South Carolina sunshine, and if you cannot get to the sun as soon as you get up then turn on the lights in the house.
• Try to increase your time of sleep. Most people are sleep deprived due to the time change. Try to get a few minutes of extra sleep every night this week. It will help with your sleep deprivation.
• Wear ear plugs to bed and a mask to block out light and sound.
• Put away the electronic devices at least thirty minutes before bedtime. This includes anything that has a plug or has to be charged.
• Limit caffeine at least 6 hours before bedtime and alcohol at least 4 hours before bedtime.
• Exercise in the morning this week.
• Avoid napping this week.

For more information about Palmetto Health, visit https://www.palmettohealth.org/