Your Daylight Savings Time Survival Guide is Right Here

Your Daylight Savings Time Survival Guide is Right Here

In case you didn’t know, Daylight Savings Time begins this Sunday, March 8th. And while there’s plenty to cheer about, including more daylight hours and the symbolic welcoming of warmer, sunny weather, setting the clock an hour ahead can temporarily wreak havoc on your life.

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The cheerful expression to “spring forward” might evoke images of folks bounding out of bed to enthusiastically meet the new day, but in reality the time change can really set you back. It’s not just a matter of losing sleep, your body’s 24-hour natural cycle, or circadian rhythm, is completely thrown off when your internal clock becomes out of sync with your current day-night cycle. This can leave you feeling something akin to jetlagged rather than just tired.

Experts agree it’s generally more difficult to adjust to “losing” an hour in the spring than it is to “gaining” an hour in the fall. But there’s good news. If you start today, there are ways to minimize the impact of the time change so that by Monday morning you’ll wake up refreshed and ready to go rather than groggy and growling at your cat.

The rule of thumb is that it takes about a day to adjust to every lost hour of sleep. Of course, this is rather a simplistic gauge and there are tremendous variations depending on the person. But it gives you a place to start.

Ready, Set, Go … to Sleep

Starting tonight (Thursday), set your bedtime back 15 minutes for four consecutive nights. So by Sunday night, you should be going to bed an entire hour earlier than your usual bedtime. Of course, when you ultimately do set the clock back, be sure to stick carefully to this new schedule.

Set Yourself Up for Success

Although you might be committed to your new schedule, there may be many things conspiring against you. If you live with friends or family, particularly kids, it’s important to have everyone on board. If people are going to bed at different times, at least get their word that they won’t interfere with or disturb your sleep.

Try to Exercise Each Day

Studies show that nothing helps us get a good night’s rest like regular exercise. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise three or more times a week. Avoid exercising too close to your bedtime.

Relax ….

Try to give yourself a good couple of hours to wind down at home. This means avoiding stimulating substances such as caffeine, cigarettes, video games, loud music or violent television. Keep lights dim, music soft and tasks minimal (especially work). Take a warm (but not super hot) bath. Avoid rich foods and alcohol. Although a small glass of wine with dinner is fine, too much alcohol impairs your sleep. Keep conversation topics light and delay any stressful or complicated discussions until the morning.

Create a Sleep-Friendly Environment

Besides a really comfortable bed, the optimal sleep environment includes three important things: quiet, darkness and a comfortable sleeping temperature.

Noise is best blocked out by white noise, either from a white noise machine or a fan. If all else fails, earplugs are surprisingly effective. If ambient streetlight is keeping your room too bright, it might be worthwhile to invest in blackout shades or light blocking drapery. You could also buy sleep shades. As for temperature, everybody has a different comfort level, but in general a comfortable sleeping temperature is generally between 65-72 degrees.

Take it Easy

Give yourself a few days after the time change to take it easy. Try not to schedule any late nights. Take a short nap if you feel sleepy, as long as it’s not too close to bedtime. And most importantly, try not to sleep in. Give your internal clock the boost it needs to adjust in a few days.

Written by

Nicole Cavazos is a Los Angeles-based copywriter and blogger. As a former contributor to the ZipRecruiter blog, she covered the job market and wrote advice for job seekers.

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