10 Tips to Adjust to Daylight Savings Time
Daylight Savings and I are not on speaking terms this morning. You never realize how important that extra hour is until the Monday morning after Daylight Savings time. If you have young kids in the house, can be especially challenging.
I’d rather adjust to Daylight Savings quickly so my sluggishness doesn’t drag on for several days. These easy tips will help you and your kids adjust so that you can avoid major meltdowns . . . from your or your kids.
Stick to your Routine – Your body needs cues that it’s time to go to sleep and wake up. Stick to your regular schedule both before going to bed and as you wake up to help your body get adjusted to the time change. This is especially helpful for kids because a consistent routine will prevent any extra excitement or confusion.
Adjust to the Time Change Slowly – One of the easiest ways to adjust to Daylight Savings is to start adjusting your schedule a few days before hand. Go to bed 15 minutes early every night for 4 days. Just make sure you are getting up 15 minutes earlier each morning as well. The time change won’t come as such a shock to you (or your kids) because you’ll be fully adjusted by the time you roll your clocks back. You can do the same thing after the change if you have some flexibility in your schedule but it’s much easier to do it beforehand.
Take Advantage of Natural Light – Natural light is a great energy booster in the morning and it can do wonders for getting you up and going when you are feeling a bit sleep deprived. Instead of hitting the snooze button, which will just throw you off for longer, open your curtains up wide first thing in the morning and let some light in. You’ll get going much faster and notice a big improvement in your mood.
Ignore your To-Do List – I’m hugely guilty of trying to get too much done once my kids go to bed. I usually end up getting a second wind and staying up way too late. The problem with doing this right after Daylight Savings time is that your second wind will take you well into the night and you’ll regret it in the morning. Avoid that urge to get just one more thing done. As soon as you feel tired, go to bed. You’ll thank yourself in the morning.
Don’t Take a Nap – It’s so very tempting to take a nap the morning after the time change. Of course, in my house, it’s very tempting to take a nap every day, but I digress. Avoid the draw of naptime because you’ll have a hard time falling asleep at night. To boost your energy, take a brisk walk, make yourself a high-nutrient snack, or get outside in the sunshine. If you really need a rest, opt for a power nap instead. Lay down for a max of 20 minutes. Any longer than that and you’ll feel groggy afterwards.
Exercise Mid-Afternoon – Mid afternoon is usually when I start to drop on a regular day. The day after Daylight Savings I’m a mess during those final hours before dinner. Boost your energy (and maximize the likelihood that you’ll be able to fall asleep that night) by getting in a good workout. If you exercise too early in the day you’ll run out of steam by mid-afternoon. Exercise too late in the day and you’ll have trouble falling asleep.
Relax Before Going to Bed – Do something relaxing and unstimulating before bed like reading a book (avoid bright screens if you are reading an ebook), taking a bath, or listing to music. Watching TV or working on the computer can wake you up and make it hard to fall asleep so avoid those things in the hours before you want to go to bed.
Let your Kids Get Some Energy Out – One of the biggest challenges I have with Daylight Savings is that even if I can manage to fall asleep, my kids can’t. Solve that problem by going on a long family walk or letting your kids run around in the backyard before dinner. The more energy they get out, the less they are going to complain about going to bed an hour earlier. Get out an join them so you can reap the same benefits as well. If you need to, start their bedtime routine a bit earlier so they can mentally prepare for bedtime.
Put your Kids to Bed Early – I realize that kids are already going to bed earlier when we lose an hour for Daylight Savings, but as long as my kids are active during the day they usually don’t have a problem if I tell them it’s bedtime a bit earlier than their normal time. They can always use the extra sleep, because sleep deprived kids are no fun during the day, and I’ll still get that quiet time after they go to bed without staying up late myself. They’ll thank me in the morning.
Give yourself a Break – Sometimes as moms we need a reminder that it’s okay to give ourselves a break. Maybe all you need to do to adjust to the time change is take a day off and give yourself permission to slack off and let your body adjust. I find that I’m much more productive if I take some time off every once in a while. As I type this my homeschooling kids are still in their pajamas and we’re going to be having a late breakfast and calling it brunch. One day off in the larger scheme of things is just fine.
How are you adjusting to Daylight Savings?
