Tips for Surviving Daylight Savings Time

I’ve always hated “springing forward”. Always. I mean, does anyone enjoy it?

I do love the extra evening sunshine though so I guess it’s a trade off.

And with the right planning, we can get through the dreaded loss of that one precious hour of sleep!

The following is a sponsored post on behalf of Sleep Number Beds.

Sleep Number believes that the beginning of DST is also the best time to reset your sleep clock.

Here are some ways to lessen the effects of losing that one hour of sleep:

15 more minutes.
According to new national sleep survey from Sleep Number, over half (54 percent) of the respondents don’t feel they are getting enough sleep to be at their best. And when we lose an hour of sleep due to DST beginning, that sleep loss is even more evident. To make the time adjustment easier, start going to bed 15 minutes early for 3 to 4 days before DST.

Live in the future.
On Saturday, live your life as if it’s already an hour ahead. For example, drink your last cup of coffee at 11 am (because that is really noon). Since caffeine has an approximate half-life of 6 hours, you don’t want to consume caffeine after noon as it may impede your sleep.
Put down the screens.
Survey results indicate that people who use devices in bed are more likely to feel they don’t get enough sleep (51 percent). Always make a screen-free zone about an hour before bedtime, which gives the eyes and mind time to relax before getting shut-eye (and allows the sleep hormone melatonin to trigger sleepiness). People in the Western region of the U.S. are the biggest tech-in-bed offenders, with 66 percent of respondents bringing devices to bed.
Monitor sleep to improve it.
Fifty-eight percent of people wish they knew more about how to improve the quality of their sleep, yet only 16 percent actually monitor their sleep (versus 41 percent who track exercise and 43 percent who track diet). And, women are more likely to focus on improving their sleep compared to men. Sleep Number’s SleepIQ technology offers a simple solution to those who want to know better sleep.

What are your best tips for managing Daylight Savings Time?