DARIEN, Ill. – November 7 marks the return of daylight standard time. On the night of the time change, Saturday, November 6, remember to turn your clocks back one hour. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends using this extra hour of sleep to rejuvenate your physical and mental health.

Many people face an endless list of demands and responsibilities that they put ahead of getting enough rest, but sleep debt can lead to decreased productivity at work and increased family stress.

Nancy A. Collop, MD, FAASM, Director of the Emory Sleep Center, and President-Elect of the AASM, says that sleep deprivation decreases our ability to perform daily tasks, impacting mood, reaction time, and attention levels. Chronic inadequate sleep leads to changes in metabolism, which, some research suggests, could lead to changes in cardiovascular health.

“People tend to ignore the need for sleep in order to get other things done, but sleep is as important as what you eat, how much...