Don't Lose Sleep over Losing an Hour of Sleep

Daylight Savings Time starts this weekend. It signals that warmer weather will (hopefully) be here soon, and that more hours of sunlight are just around the corner. But, with most of the United States will be springing forward and moving their clocks ahead one hour, many of us focus on “losing” an hour of sleep. Here are some tips on how to adjust to the time change.

Baby steps

It can take up to one week for your body to fully adjust to the time change, and it’s not always practical to adjust your schedule a week ahead of time. Moving your bedtime up in 15-minute increments starting the Thursday (today) before a time change will help ease the transition for waking up on Sunday morning and especially on Monday morning. The same can be done for children with nap times and bed times.

Keep your schedule

We all have our own routines in the morning and at night, and each signals our brains and bodies that it’s time to wake up or wind down. Keeping to the same routine in the morning will help your body adjust to the earlier wake up time, and the same goes for your nighttime routine. Again, try this practice with your kids to help them adjust as well.

No long naps

Don’t use a nap to catch up on extra sleep if you’re not normally a napper. The “extra” sleep will actually make you feel more tired and sluggish. It can also make it harder for you to fall asleep and stay asleep at night. And if you notice your kids napping longer than usual, wake them up. It may be a struggle at first, but it will pay off when trying to put them down later that night.

Do you look forward to or dread springing forward?

Sources: http://www.medicalwesthospital.org/daylight-savings-time.php