Plenty of things can be affected by the clocks going forward this spring, from sleep and productivity to mood and your daily awareness. But with two daily adjustments, you can beat the dreaded daylight savings time blues and have time on your side once again.
Heed the fatigue
With the clocks springing forward, essentially you lose an hour in the day, or so it seems compared to when the clocks go back an hour. Before the time change, your body and mind adjusted to the clock going back. Mentally, daytime meant time to wake up and be productive while nighttime meant time to wind down and get ready for some much-needed sleep. The same idea goes for the body, especially with your internal clock. Adjusting to the changing times is stressful enough, so it is important not to put that stress on your body as there can be some adverse effects, such as stress.
At six o’clock you have gotten used to the sun going down, which usually means the end of the day, but now the sun is still up but your eyes are getting heavy and your body is telling you it is time for bed. Easy fix, listen to your body. Though time is important, the telling signs of fatigue should be heeded even more. If you are used to going to bed around nine o’clock try going to bed an hour earlier. This way though you are losing an hour in the day, you are gaining an hour of sleep and keeping your original sleep pattern. This goes for waking up as well. If your body is telling you to wake up at the time it is used to rising, then wake up! You want your body to grow accustomed to a consistent sleep cycle. Forcing another hour of sleep on yourself because the sun is now rising around seven instead of six is best to be avoided. While you may think that you are giving yourself an extra hour to rest, in actuality you are making it harder for your body to adjust to a new sleep cycle.
Eat when hungry
Naturally, with the change in time you may find yourself getting hungry at an hour you usually wouldn’t, as your body is still associating feeding time to your previous scheduling. The feeling of hunger is never a good thing, and if left unattended it can greatly affect your mood and productivity. Just because the clock doesn’t say it’s quite time to eat, if you’re hungry it’s best to satiate that feeling.
However, with time going forward an hour you may find yourself becoming hungry at later times, which can also cause an issue because eating late can affect your ability to sleep. If you’re the type that sleeps like a baby after eating late, go ahead and have your lunch at one o’clock and your dinner at seven. The times may seem later, but if you associate it with your fall schedule pattern when the clock is back an hour then in actuality you are eating at twelve o’clock and six o’clock. But for those of you who do find yourself growing restless after eating too close to bedtime, try eating an hour earlier if you can. To combat the inevitable hunger that will happen later on, try to keep a healthy snack on hand like a granola bar, fruit or yogurt. This way you are maintaining control over your hunger as well as not affecting your schedule for the rest of the day.
Though these tips sound fairly easy, when you’re stuck in your ways you may find it hard to make these adjustments. But just a little practice and persistence can go a long way! With the clocks springing forward, there’s no reason not to follow along and put a spring in your step!
Wondering how to spice up your wardrobe from day to night during daylight savings time? Check out CG’s article about Fashion On-the-Go!
By: Danielle Gosha | Image: Weheartit
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