Spring Forward: Tips For Adjusting To Daylight Saving Time

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Get ready to lose an hour of sleep this weekend.

Daylight Saving Time means we spring forward Sunday.

In a city like New York, where it seems like everyone is always running late or racing against time, losing an hour can make people feel a little flustered.

"I get totally confused whether we spring forward or fall backwards," tourist Sherri Jansing told CBS2's Jessica Layton.

"I didn't know it was happening this weekend until my friend that I'm traveling with told me," tourist Alecia Remmen said.

Remmen and her friend Kayla Lindenback were visiting the city from a Canadian province that doesn't do Daylight Saving Time, so they had some questions.

"Does our flight time stay the same? Or will we wake up in the morning and the flight time is an hour different?" asked Lindenback.

Most smartphones will automatically do the time change for you, but old fashioned clocks – even high end time tellers – need to be set ahead by hand. Employees at Tourneau on East 57th Street will be changing the time on 8,500 watches this weekend.

That hour less of sleep can cause some people to lose their focus for a few days.

"We all feel kind of rotten when we don't get a good sleep," Dr. Steven Feinsilver, of Lenox Hill Hospital's Center for Sleep Medicine, told Layton. "If you want to be feeling great Monday morning after pushing the clock ahead over the weekend, it would probably be ideal to wake up at the new normal time on Sunday morning."

That's especially important if you'll be driving.

Other tips include getting some exercise Sunday, allowing natural light into your room for waking up in the morning, and turning off electronic devices before getting in bed.

On the bright side, springing ahead does in theory mean we're closer to spring, Layton reported. Given the winter we've had, including two nor'easters in one week, most people will take it.

"I actually like having the extra hour of daylight," one woman said.

So go ahead and soak up that extra sun, even when you're a extra sleepy.

Feinsilver also said it's best to avoid the urge to sleep in Sunday. That will make you even more tired that you'll already be Monday.