Daylight Saving Time: Spring forward Saturday night

Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday.

For those of you whose timepieces refuse to magically reset, you will need to move your watch, stove clock, microwave, wall clock, alarm clock, VCR, sprinkler system and grandfather/grandmother clock ahead one hour.

Most cell phones and laptop computers automatically update, but don't forget the clock on your car's dashboard.

It's also a good time to change batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. A fresh supply of batteries for flashlights and radios would be good, too.

"The nationwide approach by all fire departments is change clocks, change batteries," said Tom Tarulli, assistant fire chief of the Carson City Fire Department. "Also, change the batteries in your carbon monoxide detector."

Tarulli suggests changing the filter in the ventilation system also, no matter the type " oil, electric or natural gas.

"Just after summer and just after winter are the two main times to change them," he said. "And do safety checks in your home. Do you have a fire extinguisher? Do you have two?

"You should have one in the kitchen because that's where most home fires occur, and one somewhere else of your choice. If you have a two-story home or a home with only one exit and you have to go from your bedroom by the kitchen or utility room to get out, keep the other extinguisher there to use so you can get out of the house."

In 2005, President Bush signed into law a broad energy bill extending Daylight Saving Time by four weeks beginning in 2007. It now begins three weeks earlier, on the second Sunday in March, and ends one week later, on the first Sunday in November.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has these tips to help people cope with the upcoming time change:

1. Begin to re-jig your sleeping routine a few days before the time change by hitting the sack an hour earlier.

2. Re-adjust your mealtime schedule by eating dinner an hour earlier.

3. Be careful when operating machinery or driving on the day of the time change.

4. Avoid naps, especially close to bedtime.

5. Avoid turning to caffeine to wake you up in the morning and alcohol at night to help you sleep.

6. Maintain a lighter schedule on the Monday after the time change. Try and minimize driving and avoid strenuous activities.

7. Eat properly, drink lots of water and remain physically active.

Contact Rhonda Costa at rcosta@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1223.