Turning the clock forward this weekend is causing many to feel a little overtired while adjusting to the change. As our Amanda Kelley tells us research shows several ways daylight saving time may be affecting our health.

  To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

UNITED STATES -- Turn the clocks forward and change the batteries in your smoke detectors. They're both important steps of springing forward.

Watertown Fire Department Battalion Chief Matt Timerman said, "The big thing is just making sure that you do it on some sort of routine. For the most part the batteries will last long past six months, seven months, but if we don't recommend that you do it at a certain time, it's real easy for people to forget and let them go for years at a time."

But did you know that losing that hour of sleep may be affecting your health in some other ways? According to a study by the New England Journal of Medicine, there's an eight percent increase in traffic accidents the Monday after the time change. Studies from Johns Hopkins and Stanford universities also confirm the uptick. Data that surprises some emergency responders.

Watertown Fire Department Captain James Holland said, "The figures surprise me but it makes sense, if people aren't well rested there's going to be an increase in the number of accidents or mishaps. Just it goes with anything."

Workplace accidents and heart attacks also rise the day after turning the clocks forward, which is mainly attributed to the lack of sleep according to several different studies.
Making sure you give your body the proper rest can help avoid accidents not just at work, but at home as well.

Holland said, "We have instances like that constantly where somebody is making dinner and they fall asleep because they are just overtired. Or they fall asleep at the wheel. We hear about it every day."

So as you move the hands forward on your clock, remember to take care of changing the batteries in your detectors and recharging yourself with some extra sleep.

To read more about the different ways daylight saving may be affecting your health visit www.myhealthnewsdaily.com