March is here! And that means that we are getting closer to spring! Warmer weather and sunny days are coming our way! But that also means daylight savings and adjusting our clocks to ‘spring forward.’ This means that we lose an hour of sleep, or do we?
Losing an hour of sleep is a big deal, especially if you’re already getting a minimum of 7 hours of sleep. This is the minimum amount of sleep a night that is often recommended for adults. Getting 6 hours of sleep is often considered not enough, and also impacts the way your body functions the next day. It changes how your body tolerates glucose, brain function, and metabolism, and increases the risk of developing other health conditions such as cardiovascular disease (through insulin resistance), diabetes, obesity, and some cancers. So how do we help prepare and support your body for this?
Exercising
Engaging in regular physical activity, especially in the morning can help reinforce a new sleep-wake schedule and improve overall sleep quality. Tiring out your (and your kid’s bodies) through activity is a great way to help them sleep easier at night. So play tag with your little ones, go out for a run, do some yoga. Get your body moving so it’ll be more ready for bed at night.
Slowly adjust your sleep schedule
Adjusting your sleep schedule so you are going to sleep earlier 15-30 minutes each night in the week leading to daylight savings can help your body adjust more easily. This tip works extremely well for those bodies who are very schedule-based since the gradual change can reduce the abruptness of the hour change.
Melatonin supplementation
Melatonin acts as a circadian anchor. Using this to help support adjusting your sleep can also help signal to your body that the time is shifting and you need to sleep earlier. Start taking a little bit of melatonin at the time you are expecting to sleep once daylight savings occurs. For example, if you normally sleep at 10 pm, start taking it at 9 pm to help your body adjust. Pairing this up with dimmer lights around that time will also support your body in sleeping earlier and achieving slowly adjusting your sleep schedule.
Happy Daylight Saving!
~Dr. Charmagne
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References:
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