Less sleep could make for stressful Monday commute
Posted Mar 11, 2011 6:42 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
This weekend is Daylight Saving Time; Calgary alarm clocks will be set ahead an hour in advance of the warmer weather.
The Alberta Motor Association’s Don Szarko tells 660News statistically, accidents increase by eight per cent the Monday after the time change.
Szarko says we condition ourselves, particularly young people, to operate on a certain schedule and getting up earlier can easily make someone sleep deprived.
“So depending on what you’re doing Saturday night and what you have to do Sunday morning, you’re going to lose an hour of sleep definitely,” he says. “People don’t think that it affects them, but it does.”
He says it’s always best to try and be prepared heading into the weekend.
He suggests try having a light meal for dinner the next few Saturdays and don’t rely on coffee, it could leave you more at risk.
And Szarko says as always, know the symptoms of fatigue before getting behind the wheel.
“If you’re frequently yawning, if you feel less alert and you’re losing concentration and your thoughts are wondering (which happens to us at the best of times), but particularly if you’re driving and you’re drifting out of lanes of traffic, you find yourself correcting, you’re speed is unsteady and you’re going fast and slow,” he explains.
Also he adds be mindful of other drivers, pedestrians and cyclists on the roadway, they’re probably just as drowsy as you are.
