Spring forward in our household causes immediate cold sweats, fear of missing out (FOMO) and sometimes just outright anger. Just the thought of it makes us tired. Who created this sick trick on us to lose an hour sleep. Yea, we forget easily that we get it back in the fall. Daylight savings is happening this Sunday morning for most of us in the USA at 2am. Will you be dragging and exhausted on the Monday morning after? Are you gonna feel jet lagged like you just took a 10 hour flight from Europe? Here at Infinitemoon we care about you and your sleep. Here are some tips on how to prepare your sleep for Daylight Savings.
Our favorite expert on Sleep Dr. Michael J. Breus, the Sleep Doctor, shares with us in a recent email the following:
- Starting about 4-5 days before the change, stick to this schedule: On Tuesday and Wednesday, get in bed 15 minutes earlier than your normal bedtime. On Thursday and Friday, 30 minutes earlier than normal, and on Saturday night, try to get into bed 45 minutes earlier than your normal bedtime.
- Beginning on the Tuesday or Wednesday before the time change, stop drinking caffeine at 1:30 in the afternoon to help with the earlier bedtime.
- Avoid alcohol during the weekend of the time change.
- Keep up your exercise during the week for better sleep quality.
- Make sure you get sunlight in the morning the day of the time change to help reset your body clock.
- Be aware of your bedtime routine as the clock springs forward—otherwise, you might fall backasleep at the wrong time.
Sleep.Org shares a few helpful tips:
- Make sure you’re caught up on sleep. If you’re already sleep-deprived when Daylight Saving Time comes, it’s going to hit you harder than if you’ve been regularly getting seven to nine hours a night. So in the week leading up to the time change, pay special attention to clocking the right amount of shut eye.
- Use light to your advantage. How bright your environment is affects your sleep cycle. So, whenever possible, head outside early in the mornings and soak in some sunlight. The opposite holds true for nighttime: Make sure you dim your lights when you want to signal to your body that it’s time to go to sleep and avoid staring at computer screens late in the day.
- Rethink your evening activities. Tweaks to your nighttime routine can help you drift off more easily—something that’s tough to do when you spring forward. A few important ones: Limit caffeine and alcohol intake in the hours leading up to bedtime and don’t schedule a nighttime workout.
With a little prep, a few tweaks and some wisdom from the experts we’re confident you’re gonna wake up Monday morning with tons of energy and life to take on your week’s challenges and adventures.