Like it or not, if you live in most of the United States Daylight Savings Time (DST) will kick in at 2 a.m. this upcoming Sunday. I enjoy having extra daylight in the evening, but the switch means it's dark in the morning. And losing an hour of sleep means my body's routine is thrown off.
I don't like the groggy feeling I have immediately after the change, so I thought the tips in a CNET article called
How to reset your body's alarm clock were helpful.
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In the days leading up to the start of DST, you should go to bed 15 to 20 minutes earlier each night to help prepare your body for the time change. Then, when you go to bed on Saturday before the time change make sure to set your clock the necessary one hour ahead. When you wake up in the morning you will see the correct time.
- Don't adjust your wake-up time on the first Sunday morning. Your body will become acclimated to the change after a few days (or no more than a week). If you can't make it through the day, consider taking a short (20 minute) nap in the afternoon to give you more energy.
- Avoid alcohol, caffeine and unhealthy meals before bed, especially the Saturday before DST kicks in. They can cause sleep disruptions, which will keep you from getting the quality sleep you need to maintain physical and mental health.
- If you're an early riser, go outside the Sunday morning of the time change to get light exposure. Light helps you stay more alert during the daytime. It also reduces your body's production of melatonin, which causes drowsiness.
Great advice, but I think the best thing we could do is just do away with daylight savings time, as some states already have.
ReplyDeleteThat would be a nice long term solution, but I just want to get through the problem this year.
DeleteThanks. I've never actually "felt" the time change. Maybe because I'm usually a day or two late noticing that the time has changed. Then I think, darn I forgot to set it back or forward or whatever again.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could be as flexible as you.
DeleteAh, tips for the working people. I just sleep an hour later. And I'm like Strayer. I don't know that I ever noticed. I worked the night shift at the hospital and never had a problem. And in high school, I worked on a paper truck from 1am to 5am two days a week. Remember the South Side Journal and the Neighborhood News?
ReplyDeleteI was a North County girl, but we had a Journal too. Came on Wednesday morning. Now I read the Webster/Kirkwood (or Kirkwood/Webster) Times.
DeleteThis is the tough one lose an hour
ReplyDeleteI agree.
DeleteOh, but the extra light in the evening is so worth it :)
DeleteI am so looking forward to this time change. I love longer evenings with daylight.
ReplyDeleteYou sound like a true Daylight Savings Time fan!
DeleteSadly, in Canada we do this, as well. I think it is time to stop, if you'll excuse the pun. Canada, because we do some much business with the US, follow your lead!
ReplyDeleteI thought a bill was entered into legislation to end this. I suppose they didn't have time to consider it, being busy trying to one-up each other! Being retired and not stuck to a schedule, I don't notice it so much, my body is accustomed to getting up with the light outside and going to bed when the light goes away.
ReplyDeleteIn the past couple of months I've put a lot of things on my calendar that have times. Now I have at least one thing scheduled almost every day.
DeleteThanks for the tips, Kathy G. I don't mind moving forward especially if it gets me that much closer to spring because I am done with winter.
ReplyDeleteAmen to winter going away!
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