November 7 will be the time to set your clocks backward and receive an extra hour of sleep. While that one hour can be nice, daily routines may be thrown off with the change in sunlight hours and getting used to a new clock. It could take your body up to a week to adjust and possibly longer for little ones.
Try your best to stick to your normal schedule, whether children are involved or not. After the initial time change day, continue to set alarms for the same time you normally would so that your body is still on the same sleep schedule. If there are little ones, try to gradually adjust their sleep schedules to accommodate the time change over the course of a few weeks by setting sleep and wake times back 10-15 minutes until they are used to the new schedule. If you don’t have blackout curtains in bedrooms, grab a pair to help keep the early sunlight out when you should still be asleep.
If you enjoy outdoor activities, try to move those up in your schedule if you can. This way, you won’t miss out when it gets dark a little earlier. This may mean more morning walks when the sun is out and play time at the park before dinner. Exercise and sunlight are essential to mental and physical health, so do what you need to to keep those in your daily routine. Prioritizing exposure to natural daylight is imperative for your circadian rhythm and can decrease disruptions in your sleep schedule.
Your eating schedule is important to pay attention to during the time change as well. To optimize your metabolic health and natural rhythms, try to eat breakfast within an hour of waking up each morning. You’ll also want to take it easy on the caffeine intake, as hard as it may be. Consuming extra caffeine when your schedule is mixed up can lead to increased tension and anxiety as well as disrupted sleep cycles.
Start preparing now for daylight saving time and keep your schedule as solid as possible without interruptions.
