Despite the fact that Daylight Saving Time (DST) happens once a year, many of us still struggle to cope with the time shift when it comes. There are many reasons for this, the most obvious of which is that it messes with your body's natural clock causing you to feel moody or even stressed.
Daylight Savings Time (DST) -- which you're probably already familiar with -- calls for clocks to be set forward an hour in the spring, and pulled back an hour in the fall. This essentially leads to you losing an hour per day in the spring, yet gaining one in the fall months.
Daylight Savings means summer is on its way..... longer days for outdoor adventures!
In the fall, you may gain an hour of sleep but the rest of your day is going to seem longer. It might feel like you're stuck at work later, or you're waiting around more for your lunch time to arrive.
In the spring, when the clocks move forward, you'll lose an hour of sleep. We don't need to explain how sleep changes can affect your daily life. Getting fewer hours of quality sleep is enough to make anyone grouchy.
In fact, there are numerous studies that argue in favor of DST while others argue against it. Most of the ones that argue for it, claim that the increase in daylight is better for fitness, some industries -- like retail -- benefit from the longer days, and there are even fewer traffic fatalities during DST. However, other studies show the opposite, the most damning of which claims that heart attacks actually increase during the spring time change when we lose an hour, because of how it affects our natural body clocks and health.
The main point to all of this is that Daylight Saving, however helpful, can really mess with our bodies and natural schedules. So, how do you cope? What are some helpful tips to help you prepare for the time changes?
5 Tips for Dealing With Daylight Saving Time
1. Exercise
Get moving to release serotonin to help your body adjust, but avoid exercising later in the evening as the energy boost can interfere with the quality of your sleep.
2. Nap sparingly
Stick with short -- no longer than 20 minutes -- sessions and nap early in the day. The closer you nap to your bedtime, the less likely you'll be getting quality sleep. Tip: caffeine takes about 20-25 minutes to get into your bloodstream, so have a cup a coffee early in the afternoon, take a 20 minute power nap and coffee will kick in at the perfect time to wake you up.
3. Eat early dinner
You will sleep better if your body is doing a lot of work to digest food.
4. Set Your Clock Early
By resetting your clock on a Friday evening or Saturday, you're allowing yourself more time to adjust provided you have the weekends off. If you don't have weekends off, then try to schedule the time change on a day where you have off.
The downside to doing this is that it can confuse your schedule if you have events or activities planned for a certain time. Just remember that you changed the clocks early and you should be just fine.
The most important part about setting your clock early is that you adhere to the time change. Don't stay up later -- when you lose an hour -- for those days you're off thinking it's extra time.
5. Avoid Coffee and Alcohol
These substances will affect your quality and duration of sleep. If you drink coffee and alcohol, consider lightening up on the amounts for this week and next and or consume them earlier in the day/evening.
6. Come to Suda’s FitFoot HQ for a shoe fitting on Sunday (appointments available from 12-3PM). Reset your running shoe closet as well as your clocks and enjoy a refreshing mimosa or cold brew while you shop! Email sudasfitfoot@gmail.com to reserve your spot!
