Get Ready for Daylight Savings Time

Ready to “fall back” on Sunday November 3, 2024?

Even a 1-hour adjustment can take some getting used to since our body runs by an internal clock, not a man-made clock. And studies show increased traffic fatalities, heart attack risk, and depression during the time change periods? So we need to take care and make some easy adjustments so it doesn’t happen to us.

Our body’s own time-keeping machine regulates sleep and metabolism. So, a time shift disrupts our sleep and circadian rhythms and send our metabolism into a negative spin.

Here are my 5 Top Tips to help make this Fall Daylight Saving Time change go more smoothly for you and your family.

Watch the video for how our body is impacted by time changes….

5 Top Tips to Adjust to Time Changes

Go to bed and get up at the same time. 
Get at least 7 hours of sleep on the day(s) before and after the transition. Lack of sleep tells the body to store fat. Start by planning ahead. A few days in advance, gradually adjust sleep and wake times by shifting bedtime 15 to 20 minutes each night. This helps your body make gradual shifts and more slowly adjust.

Practice good habits before bedtime. 
In the days after the time change, quit caffeinated beverages 4 to 6 hours before bedtime, Avoid workouts within 4 hours of bedtime because raising your body’s core temperature can make it harder to fall asleep. And avoid electronics near bedtime. Electronics’ high-intensity light hinders melatonin, a hormone that triggers sleepiness. The light stimulates your brain and makes sleep difficult the same way sunlight does. So it’s a great time to start reading books again.

Keep your dinner eating time consistent. 
On the days around the time change, eat a little early. To ease the transition, shift your mealtime forward 15 minutes for a few days in a row. Our sleep cycle and our eating patterns affect each other. Don’t overeat just because you may be a little more tired.

Get more natural light! 
Go outside and get exposure to morning sunlight on the Sunday after the time change to help regulate your internal clock. Having shorter daylight hours affects our mood and energy levels, decreasing serotonin. Make time to take a morning or early afternoon walk outside when the Sun is out. Try using a light therapy box (available on Amazon) or an alarm light that brightens as you wake up.

Take a short cat nap. 
Some may disagree, but if you stack up sleepless hours in the days after the time change, it’s safer and healthier for your body to give in to a short nap than to continue without sleep. And after you nap it may help to go outside into the natural sunlight to cue your body and help retrain your inner clock.

How do you adjust to time changes?