DENVER -- You may be feeling a little more tired than usual to start your work week, even though we got that extra hour of sleep this past weekend.
Doctors say that can be normal when Daylight Saving Time ends.
Dr. Jeff Sippel, a sleep medicine specialist with UCHealth, said that additional hour of sleep from Saturday can disrupt your normal sleeping pattern this week.
But, before you grab those sleeping aides, Sippel said avoid them and your body will adjust.
"What I would recommend for people is to make sure that they do their normal activities and get sunlight, Sippel said.
The recommended amount of sleep is seven to eight hours a night.
The "fall back" we experience when turning clocks back an hour is easier on the body, but "spring forward" is when it can really get challenging.
"That's like changing east instead of west which is harder for our bodies to accommodate, in the spring we are advancing our schedule, in the fall we are relaxing our schedule," Sippel said.
The days will get shorter and darker earlier and Sippel says people may slip into seasonal depression.
That can be avoided.
"Make sure to get direct sunlight most days because it will help maintain the sleep rhythm, which will improve the quality of sleep," Sippel said.
