Like clockwork, Daylight Saving Time (DST) comes every spring and forces us to start our mornings an hour earlier. While it doesn’t affect some people, it hits others pretty hard and it can take a while to get the sleep cycle back on track.
In anticipation of the coming clock change, here are five ways to minimize poor quality sleep due to DST.
It’s a good idea to plan for DST before it arrives to minimize your fatigue. There are also some steps you can take in the days following the time change to get yourself back on track.
1. Prepare
Start preparing for the time difference about a week ahead. Go to bed 15-30 minutes earlier in the days leading up to DST.
If you have trouble falling asleep, try some relaxation techniques like meditation, yoga, or progressive muscle relaxation.
If you’re still having trouble, try a metronome-light like Dodow, which is scientifically designed to stop overactive thought patterns and lull you into a peaceful sleep quickly. It’s a safe way for anyone to fall asleep in under 20 minutes.
2. Don’t take naps
Taking a long afternoon nap to recover from DST might sound tempting, but it can do you more harm than good. That’s because you’ll struggle to fall asleep at night if you sleep during the day, leaving you tired again the following morning.
If you have to take a nap during the day or you’ll drop, keep it under 20 minutes. This time frame will be long enough to take the edge off without influencing your sleep that night. You’ll also want to take your rest as early in the afternoon as possible because late afternoon naps can hinder nighttime rest.
3. Get outside
Exposing yourself to as much daylight as possible can help reset your body’s internal clock, minimizing the adjustment to a time change. If you can, spend some time outdoors; your body will get used to the time change easier and you’ll get yourself back on track.
The reason for that is that natural light drives circadian rhythms, which are the body’s behavioral, mental, and physical changes that follow a 24-hour cycle. These rhythms influence your sleep cycle, and your body will adjust if you expose it to natural light as early in the day as possible.
4. Maintain your schedule
Don’t change your day for DST. Stick to your normal eating, socializing, and activity schedules rather than adjusting them.
For example, if you’d typically eat breakfast at 8 a.m., head to the gym at 9 a.m., meet friends for lunch at noon, and have dinner at 6 p.m., keep those plans in place instead of moving them an hour to accommodate the time change.
While it might be a struggle for a day or two, your body will adjust faster if you start living your life on DST immediately.
5. Avoid alcohol and caffeine
It might be tempting to have a drink the night before DST to help you sleep, but this move could backfire because you won’t have a restful night. This choice could result in you being far more tired the morning of the time change, causing further problems over the next few days.
The same goes for caffeine. While having an additional cup of late-morning coffee the morning of DST could help you get through the day, it could also prevent you from getting good rest that night. The goal is to get your body onto the new schedule as quickly as possible, and both alcohol and caffeine prohibit that.
Making the adjustment easier
Let’s face it, DST can mess with your sleep schedule, making you less productive in the days following the change. But, following these five tips can quickly get you back on track, minimizing its effect on your life.
What are some of your tips for limiting DST damage to your sleep schedule? Share your tricks in the comment section below, and don’t forget to send this list to anyone in your life who struggles to get better sleep.
Hey, babe-thanks for the tips, although I wish I’d known more a week ago 🥱