Feeling Extra Sleepy This Week? Blame Daylight Savings Time
This past Saturday night, many of us wandered around our houses, “springing” any non iPhone or non Android clocks forward an hour. While we may have grumbled about losing an hour of sleep (especially on a weekend!), there are other reasons for why most of us tend to feel tired following a time change.
Shifting forward an hour alters the body’s circadian rhythm, causing the internal clock to become out of sync with the current 24-hour cycle. While there is also a shift in time in the fall (when we “fall back” an hour), springing forward an hour, as we did this past weekend, is typically more difficult for the body to adjust to.
Over 60% of Americans experience the effects of lost sleep on the Monday after Daylight Savings Time starts. In fact, the time change has been linked with decreased performance, concentration, and even memory loss. Even the Journal of Sleep Medicine has encouraged that class and school exams not take place through the scope of one week following the shift with Daylight Savings Time, due to daytime sleepiness.
So what can you do to beat the Daylight Savings Time blues? A few tips below:
Go to sleep at the same time throughout the week
It can take some people up to three weeks to adjust to the changes from Daylight Savings Time. Going to bed at the same time consistently can allow for you to adapt to the time changes more quickly.
Maintain a bedtime routine
This might seem like a tip designed for kids, but by maintaining a regular bedtime routine, you’ll find it easier to fall asleep more quickly and attain more quality sleep throughout the night. Your bedtime routine might benefit from using the Marc Pro to help relieve muscle aches and soreness before climbing into bed. (And besides, it’s relaxing.)
Avoid screens before bed
While it’s tempting to answer that text or watch some Netflix while curled up in bed, you’re actually delaying the adjustment to the time change and affecting the quality of your sleep by staring at screens before bed.
Fun Fact: While most people quickly adjust to the time change and appreciate the later sunset, a minority of the US population have gone as far as taking legislative action towards Daylight Savings Time. States, such as Oklahoma are petitioning to have legislation changed so that Daylight Savings Time is not observed. For 2016, however, everyone will need to wake up an hour early to account for the change. So wake up, embrace the day and make awesome happen! If you have any tips for beating the time change fatigue, tweet us at @TheMarcPro or share a #daylightsavings tip via Instagram!