Most of us don't think too much about changing the time. I know I didn't until I had a baby and it messed up our sleep for 2 weeks!
But studies show there are seriously severe repercussions of losing an hour of sleep for the "spring forward," including:
- increase in heart attacks the first 3 days after the time change
- more traffic accidents the Monday after
- increased in number and severity of workplace injuries
- link to miscarriages in in vitro fertilization patients
- increase in depression and male suicide rates
Those are some seriously unfunny consequences!
Here are some body-tricking tips to make the transition easier so you don't become one of those scary statistics.
- Wake up 30 minutes earlier the Friday, Saturday, Sunday before the time change. This will make Monday morning not seem so exhaustingly dreadful.
- On Sunday night, go to bed 30 minutes later than your normal bedtime. So if you normally go to bed at the party-pooper time of 10pm (like me), you'll want to tuck your sweet self into bed at 10:30 on Sunday night. Now, the kicker is that this will feel like 9:30. Getting up earlier that morning (tip #1) will help you be able to fall asleep at this earlier time. Keep bedtime at 10:30 on Monday and Tuesday nights as well. Then adjust to your normal, fun 10pm bedtime on Wednesday night.
- Eat breakfast first thing in the morning to help reset your body clock and tell your smart self that it's morning time.
- Get light first thing in the morning as well. If that's not easy (say you live in BFE in the north like me), then you can sit in front of a happy lamp instead.
Wishing you a good night's sleep and a safe transition to the lovely new time of spring!
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