How to combat drowsiness after daylight saving time change

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- For many people, the pandemic has already wreaked havoc on sleep. And now, we've lost an hour due to daylight saving time.

Sleep is one of the pillars of good health and not getting enough puts you at a greater risk for heart problems, accidents and even depression.

On top of losing an hour of sleep this past weekend, the pandemic has caused a lot of stress and anxiety for many people which can also disrupt your sleep.

If you are working from home or kids are learning from home, it's harder to keep to sleep schedules. Doctor Cinthya Pena is a sleep specialist at Cleveland Clinic. She says getting outside in sunlight will help and so will taking a short nap.

"As long as it's a power nap of 15-20 minutes, no more than that. That will help people to feel rejuvenated and feel better during those episodes where they feel a little bit drowsy," she said.

Exercise in the morning is also a great way to re-set your body clock.

For kids, springing forward is easier than falling back but many parents likely struggled to get them to sleep Sunday night.

Experts say make sure your kids get plenty of outdoor play time to help them fall asleep at night and black-out curtains can also help.