Sunday March 28 – Also known as the day you wake up confused and wonder why you slept so late. It's the start of daylight saving time, when clocks go forward and you "lose" an hour of sleep.
Aside from the fact that you have one less hour of R&R and time to get things done on Sunday, you'll probably also have a hard time going to bed at your usual time.
For example, if you normally go to bed at 10, now your body tells you to stay up until 11, and you might! Then, on Monday, you have to wake up to go to work or class. And that's where the problem begins.
Losing that hour of sleep is worse in a brain that is already sleep deprived. The number one time for car accidents is after we lose an hour of sleep. In a January 2020 report, published in the journal Current Biology, they claim that daylight saving time increase in fatal traffic accidents un 6%, and that the rebound lasts the entire week following the time change. According to the report, 28 fatal accidents could be avoided each year if daylight saving time did not exist.
And not only that, but this time change can also affect brain function, decreased energy and alertness. That is, it is not "just an hour", but something that can affect your health and safety in a significant way.
How to adapt to summer time?
Daylight saving time is coming for us and no matter how loud the screams are to avoid it. But you can do your part and try to reduce your burden of exhaustion.
This schedule can be difficult because it creates a misalignment in your circadian rhythm. so you should ir to bed 15 minutes before every night in the four days before daylight saving time. It's a completely practical strategy that is generally recommended, but it's especially important if you have children, to ease the transition for them as well.
Here's what that would look like if you normally go to bed at 10 pm:
- Wednesday: Bedtime at 9:45 pm
- Thursday: Bedtime at 9:30 pm
- Friday: Bedtime at 9:15 pm
- Saturday: Bedtime at 9 pm
Moving your sleep schedule back a bit from day to day will make the change feel more seamless. It's easier to go to bed 15 minutes early than to try to go to bed (whatever it feels like) an hour early on Sunday night when you're still doing your usual routine.
Set a night time alarm to remind you to go to bed and give yourself some extra time to relax and get ready.
Be sure to set your alarm to wake up 15 minutes earlier too; otherwise, your sleep-wake schedule hasn't changed and you're still in for the shock of an early Monday morning.
So if you normally wake up at 6 am, set your alarm as follows:
- Thursday: Wake up at 5:45 am
- Friday: Wake up at 5:30 am
- Saturday: Wake up at 5:15 am
- Sunday: wake up at 6 in the morning (because you have "lost" an hour of sleep)
To quickly sync up your circadian rhythm with an earlier awakening, it's also recommended to head out early in the morning without sunglasses and face the general direction of the sun for 15 minutes. (For the health of your eyes, do not look directly at the sun.)
If the grass or sidewalk isn't too cold, take off your shoes and stand barefoot. The technique, called grounding or grounding, can help you better regulate your body clock, according to a January 2012 report in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health.
Other tips for sleeping with asthenia
Despite using this strategy to accustom the body to sleeping earlier each day, other types of habits must also be taken into account. The arrival of summer will cause sunset later, so the days will have more hours of sunshine.
Gradually delay dinner
Another important factor in our circadian rhythm is food. Eating too close to bedtime can make it hard to fall asleep, because the body is too focused on digestion to think about winding down at night.
In general, it's a good idea to stop eating three to four hours before bed. To avoid any disruption to that schedule, we will begin moving the last meal (usually dinner) to an earlier time about a week before Daylight Saving Time begins. It is recommended to change in 15 minute increments up to one hour.
Change all clocks before daylight saving time
Before going to bed the night before daylight saving time, we must make sure to advance all the clocks. Doing so can make the time change feel less confusing. Although it is true that most electronic devices do it automatically because they are connected to the internet.
In this way, we will be ready to live according to the new time as soon as we wake up the next day.
Start the day with sunlight
People's internal clocks are reset every day through sunlight, so increasing exposure to natural light is recommended. On the other hand, it's best to limit artificial light, such as from a cell phone, in the dark hours before bedtime.
We will try to get 15 minutes of sunlight first thing in the morning. If we live in a warmer climate, we can get sunlight outdoors. But even sitting by the window while drinking our morning coffee will suffice. Later, we'll avoid wakefulness-promoting blue light from cell phones, laptops, and other electronic devices too close to the bed.