Mar. 3--This is Sleep Awareness Week, and a local sleep disorder therapist says don't doze on this health issue -- especially considering clocks spring forward for daylight saving time this weekend.

"People generally don't pay enough attention to getting enough sleep," says Angie Randazzo, a psychologist and owner of Slumber Solutions, a sleep therapy practice in Clayton.

The loss of an hour causes an increase in accidents from the home to the workplace to traffic, she says.

Also, other safety agencies say pedestrian deaths also increase for a few weeks after the time change, including among children going to and from school.

She suggested that you start tonight moving your bed time and get-up time back 15 minutes. Increase it gradually over two weeks.

"It still disrupts your life two to three weeks one way or another," she said.

Nevertheless, people need to take sleep more seriously, she said.

"People think they get by on less sleep," she said. "But they pay the consequences later."

SLEEP ON THIS

You need on average eight hours of sleep a night. Americans average 6.9 hours on weekdays and 7.5 hours on weekends. Before the light bulb, Americans averaged 10 hours a night in the 1800s.

- Studies sponsored by the National Sleep Foundation consistently show that accidents related to drowsiness are higher among people with sleep disorders and workers who change shifts frequently. This includes physicians, truck drivers and many others.

- A study out of the University of Chicago says with disrupted sleep, your body produces too much leptin, the hormone that turns on hunger, and too little gherlin, the hormone that turns it off. So you crave more food, especially high-carb comfort food.

- You improve your work and personal relationships because you're not so cranky.

- You have increased alertness and your head is clearer.

- Sleep contributes to a healthy immune system.

- Sleep deprivation and sleep disorders are estimated to cost Americans more than $100 billion annually in lost productivity, medical expenses, sick leave, and property and environmental damage.

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Last updated: 04/02/2008 - 10:06 AM