Simple Time Change Hacks

Like many others, I am dreading the pending time change that looms over our heads this Sunday morning, when clocks spring forward an hour to start Daylight Savings Time (DST).  It’s like a ticking time bomb ready to blow your whole mind and body out of sync.

Here are some tips to keep the grogginess to a minimum according to the University of Michigan Sleep Disorders Center.

* A few days before Daylight Saving kicks in, hit the sack a little earlier each night. Even 10 to 20 minutes earlier for three days can make a difference.

* Also, set your alarm clock for 15 minutes earlier than the previous day three days before DST.  If you are even more sensitive to time changes start this as soon as you can but do it more gradually with maybe 10 minutes earlier each night.

* Make sure to set your clock one hour forward before going to bed this Saturday, not the next day. Sleeping in on Sunday will only cause problems down the line. Experts say to wake up at your normal time.

Even after you sync up with Daylight Saving Time, here are some helpful hacks for a good night’s sleep every night:

* Routine: Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day of the week.
* Avoid drinking alcohol in the evenings.
* Avoid caffeinated products after mid-afternoon.
* Avoid late evening exercise.
* Sleep space:   This is the one I struggle with the most.  Try and keep your sleep space a sanctuary of rest by creating an electronic and gadget free zone.  Avoid all devices that will tempt you to stay plugged into your favorite social media sites, or stream the latest cat videos on YouTube.
* Keep the bedroom dark, quiet and comfortable.
* Wind down: Set aside 30 to 45 minutes to wind down before going to bed.

Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s