Ways to Prepare for DST

March 10, 2017

Daylight saving time starts again this March 12. We will again lose that much-needed extra hour of sleep as the clock sets forward an hour earlier. Here are a few tips to ensure you won’t become sleep-deprived:

  • One of the practical and helpful ways to prepare is to make sure that your children get good naps in a comfortable Orange County mattress a few days preceding the time shift. Even adults may need to do this to handle the change with ease. A short nap of 20 minutes can be revitalizing without making nighttime sleeping harder for both you and your kids.

  • Control the lights. Melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate your body’s internal circadian clock, is produced when it is dark. Turn off the lights and all electronic gadgets 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime to help your body transition into the new earlier sleep pattern.

  • Get a Sleep Break. After the change to daylight saving time, you can also take a short nap in the afternoon — not too close to bedtime.

  • Make sure to keep regular hours. Sleep and wake up every day at the same time to regulate the sleep pattern and a moderate  30 minutes walk not too close to bedtime three times a week can also help.

  • Avoid spicy or fatty food or having too much food in your stomach in the evening as this can cause indigestion which eventually leads to insomnia. Eating light and simple food several hours before bed will give you a  better night’s sleep.

  • Avoid alcohol and caffeine hours before bedtime as it can trigger insomnia attacks too.

  • Relax. Stress can make it hard for us to sleep because it stimulates our body to produce cortisol, a sleep inhibitor. So, relax with a soothing, warm bath or a cup of hot milk.

  • Cut down your TV time or avoid watching TV programs that are intense.

  • Write down you schedule the following day including the possible solution to every challenge you may face if sleep becomes too elusive.

  •  Avoid drinking too much liquid so that you don’t have to wake up and use the bathroom in the middle of the night.

  • Create an ideal sleep environment in your room: it should be noise-free, the temperature is well-regulated, and the Orange County mattress is comfortable.

All these things, when considered, will surely make your eyelids heavy to prepare yourself for the start of the DST.