Yes it’s that time of the year again!! This weekend we loose an hour of sleep when the clocks “Spring Ahead” Sunday!
Many of us find it hard to adjust when the time changes! All thanks to Today’s, Chrissy Callahan here are some tips and tricks to help you deal with loosing an hour of precious sleep.
- Reconsider your bedtime: “Try going to bed 15 minutes earlier, starting two to three days before the time change. This will help make sure you are well-rested before the clock change so any resulting ‘sleep debt’ will feel less extreme,” Candice A. Alfano, Ph.D., director of the University of Houston’s Sleep and Anxiety Center of Houston, said.
- Shift your wakeup call: “A few days before daylight saving time, set your wakeup time to 30 minutes ahead. This will narrow the difference and make it easier for you to adjust to the time change,” Dr. Ana Krieger, medical director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian, said.
- Readjust your routine: “Take advantage of your earlier start for the day, and shift your activities to an earlier schedule, including dinner, exercise and bedtime,” Krieger suggested.
- Trick your brain: “The brain looks for visual cues to know what time it is. Another thing you can do is change the time on a wristwatch 15 minutes ahead each day before daylight saving time to provide that visual cue,” Ash said.
- Avoid naps: “If you feel sleepy the day after the change, try to resist taking a nap because this will reduce the amount of sleep pressure present at bedtime and can create longer term sleep problems. If you must nap, keep it to 15 to 20 minutes, ideally in the late morning,” Alfano said.
- Seek out sunshine: “Make sure you get plenty of sunlight on the morning after the change. Light has potent effects on our internal body clock and will help you feel less tired,” Alfano revealed.
- Watch your diet: “Avoid foods and beverages that will keep you up, such as caffeinated beverages, chocolates or alcohol at least three hours prior to bed,” Ash said.
- Set your kids up for success: “If you have kids at home, make sure they don’t leave any work to be completed in the morning before school starts as their brains will be in a fog — or fully asleep — in the early morning,” Krieger suggested.
- Avoid exercising too late: “Moderate-to-high intensity exercise should be performed earlier in the day, as late-night exercise can inhibit a good night’s sleep. During exercise, the sympathetic nervous system is activated, and when this occurs close to bedtime, it may also affect subsequent sleep propensity,” Mark Aloia, Ph.D., global lead for behavior change at Philips Healthcare, told TODAY.
- Reduce screen time: “Light from a device can affect one’s circadian phase. If it’s nearing bedtime, our phase is shifting toward sleep and exposing ourselves to too much light at this time can result in trouble falling sleep. Screen time is also harmful for adequate sleep if the content we’re viewing is activating and anxiety provoking, which can interfere with emotions and interrupt sleep,” Aloia said.
Some pretty great advice. You can read the full article from TODAY by clicking HERE!!!
