Helpful tips to adjust to Daylight Savings
With daylight savings around the corner and as we "spring forward," we set our alarm clocks forward one hour.
It can be tough to give up those precious minutes, so we would like to share with you some healthy sleeping tips to help maximise your bedtime and quickly adjust to Daylight Savings.
1. Sleep when you're sleepy.
Even though you're losing an hour in the day, it's best to not try to go to sleep an hour early. Go to bed at the time you normally do, instead of trying to "catch up".
Think of it this way — it’s easier to wait to eat at 8 p.m. than it is to force yourself to eat at 4 p.m. when you’re not hungry. The same goes for sleep. If you wait until you’re actually sleepy, you’ll get a more quality night of sleep — even if it’s only five hours.
2. Don't trick your body during the transition to Daylight Saving's
It's important to adjust to the time change right away. If you normally wake up at 7 a.m., keep waking up at that time, even after the clocks have changed.
The biggest mistake you can make is 'sleeping in' the night after the transition. The brain needs 24 hours to reset itself, and if you try to 'make up' sleep, it’s only going to make the transition harder.
3. Soak up some light.
Get acclimated to the beginning of the day as soon as you can, by opening the blinds or curtains and letting that sunlight in.
4. Move around (it doesn't even have to be exercise).
To further spark up your senses, it's best to get moving. If you're not a gym person, just do simple things such as jumping jacks or light housework.
5. Resist the urge to nap.
Even if you come home from work or school feeling exhausted, fight away any nap-time feelings. You shouldn't try to grab the lost hour of sleep, because it'll create a harmful cycle. This can really throw off your routine and perpetuate the rough transition.
6. Get your body ready for sleep.
If you're slowly getting ready to go to bed, "turn off as many lights as possible. It sends a signal to your body to relax, because sleep is on the way. You'll be physically and mentally prepared to have a night full of total slumber.
7. Children
Keeping your children’s bedtimes during daylight savings can be difficult, children can often wake earlier and get to sleep later as their body’s and minds adjust. Here are some tips you might find useful when daylight savings approaches:
- In the week leading up to daylight savings, try getting your child into bed a little earlier each night. For example, adjust their bedtime by 15 minutes earlier each night this will be less noticeable to the body.
- Even if they don’t fall asleep until their regular bedtime they will be adjusting their body and mind into going to bed earlier.
- If your child struggles to sleep while it’s light try making their room darker.
- It can take overly tired children even longer to fall asleep so avoid trying to ‘wear them out’ to get them to sleep.
Remember it might take a few nights for them to get used to the change – generally it takes a week for everyone to adjust.
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