We are finally get our hour back this Fall, hooray! November first is Daylight Savings Day. How time changes actually affect you depends on your own personal health, sleep habits, and lifestyle. The shift in light changes our own natural *time-clock*, the circadian rythm. Different ages have different rythm's so your teenager is going to be affected differently than you. In general, we become temporarily out of sync and you will feel it.
What can you do to reset your circadium rythym? Your circadian rhythm is internally generated but is influenced by the environment, behavior, what you sleep on.
Environmentally, light suppresses the secretion of the hormone melatonin (which makes you sleepy. So it is important to expose yourself to the light during the waking hours as much as possible (a brisk afternoon walk is my personal favorite), however, DO NOT expose yourself to bright light when it is dark outside. We use blue-light nightlights in our home and it works very well (I picked them up at Fred-Meyers).
Behaviorly, make sure you do not consume any alcohol or caffeine before bedtime and any exercising-besides certain yoga poses. Also, a pre-bedtime cup of chammomile tea and a simple carb will induce sleep, skip the protein. Creating a calming bedtime ritual 1 hour before bed is ideal.
Having a supportive mattress that reduces your pressure points helps your body rest and restore itself. A pillow that supports your neck is very important to getting your body in position so you can get that REM sleep. It is the REM sleep that *resets* your body and makes you feel refreshed!
It is a good idea the week prior to the time change to go to bed 15 minutes LATER each evening so that your body will easily adjust and reduce grogginess during the day.
So, you might feel a little *off* the first day, but usually 24 hours is all it takes to shift back to normal. The important thing to remember is being aware of your sleep hygiene, the way you prepare for sleep and how you sleep can affect your quality of life. We are all a little happier and can deal with stress better when we get our ZZZZZZ's!
Sleep Well!
