What you need to know ahead of Daylight Saving Time!

"On March 11, we will move our clocks forward again in preparation to enjoy this extra sunlight," said Jeanette Robins, RPSGT, Concorde- Grand Prairie's Polysomnographic Technology Program Director,

Changing our clocks in either direction changes our 24-hour circadian rhythm, and our internal clock becomes mismatched with our normal day-night cycle we've become adapted to."

In her opinion, the "springing forward" or getting up an extra hour earlier in the morning, tends to be more difficult to adjust to than the "falling back" time change later in the year.

"This extra light that we receive during the day due to the longer evening daylight hours is received by our optic chiasm, which regulates our sleep," said Robins.

In fact, According to the National Sleep Foundation, people sleep about 40 minutes less on average on the night after the switch over to Daylight Savings Time.

Start preparing your body early

But fear not, whether you're in a health care training program or have kiddos to get ready in the morning, there are things beyond setting your clock back one hour before you go to bed on Saturday that can help you make smoother transitions.

Dr. Harneet Walia of the Cleveland Clinic said, in an interview with The Independent, that "the best way to make up for that time is to prepare yourself during the week before: "Begin by going to bed 15 to 30 minutes earlier than your usual bedtime".

The extra early morning sunlight will also help your body adjust but she said it is best to avoid naps over 20 minutes long to make sure your nighttime sleep is not interrupted," she said.

Will it always be this way?

There's no clear answer. In the United States, daylight saving time began on March 21, 1918. A misnomer, it was not on behalf of giving farmers and an extra hour for harvest.

U.S. government officials, taking a cue from Germany during World War I, reasoned that fuel could be saved by reducing the need for lighting in the home - a move that resulted in about a 1 percent total savings.

Now, many Americans find the switch to be more annoying than anything.

Hawaii and Arizona - apart from the state's Navajo Nation - do not observe daylight saving time, and the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands also remain on standard time year-round.

If the rest of the United States wants it changed, collectively, it will take an act of Congress.

Are you interested in sleep?

No, napping is it's not one of our health care training programs, but we do have a Polysomnographic Technology training program that focuses on diagnosing and treating sleep disorders that can improve the quality of life for many in your community.

Sometimes referred to as sleep technicians, these professionals monitor brain waves, eye movement, muscle activity, breathing and blood oxygen variables, to provide physicians with information needed to diagnose sleep disorders

We train students to pursue a rewarding career in this field in as few as eight months!

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