Though it may not look or feel like spring outside, we are getting closer and closer to warmer weather. The start of Daylight Saving Time 2015 is proof of that.
Remember that one Sunday back in November when we all turned our clocks back an hour and got an extra hour of sleep? The end of Daylight Saving Time is so glorious isn't it? Unfortunately, it is now time to pay the piper. This Sunday, March 8 is the start of Daylight Saving Time 2015, which means we spring one hour ahead of standard time and lose an hour of sleep. This is possibly the most dreadful day of the entire year.
What kind of sorcery is this, you ask? Who would be so cruel as to deprive you of an hour of sleep on a weekend? Well, there is actually a whole history and rationale behind Daylight Saving Time. Unfortunately, if you live in most parts of the United States, Daylight Saving Time is happening whether you like it or not. So you should probably get prepared. Here are some tips and tricks to help you spring ahead in with no problem.
1. Live In The Future On Saturday
You might want to consider curbing the shock of waking up an hour earlier than usual on Sunday by acting like Daylight Saving Time is already in effect on the Saturday before. Some ways you can do that is to drink your last cup of coffee at 11 a.m. that day, which would really be noon under Daylight Saving Time, so that your caffeine intake doesn't affect your sleep, according to Sleep Number, which has other tips for starting your Daylight Saving Time off right over on its website.
2. Get An App For That
Most of us are not strong enough to wake up on our own. We have technology for that. Though you probably already have an alarm clock of choice, there are plenty of apps out there that do more than just wake you up. If you're too tempted to hit the snooze button, get an app like Step Out Of Bed!, which forces you to get out of your bed to turn the alarm off. There are also apps that make you complete brain games before they shut off, such as Smile Alarm. Some apps, like Rise Alarm Clock, are so pretty and fun to use that you may even be excited to wake up just to look at them. You can also wake up to the sounds of Jimmy Fallon, frying bacon and Santa Claus if that does it for you.
3. Resist The Urge To Sleep In On Sunday
Since Daylight Saving Time means you lose an hour of sleep on Sunday morning, you would think that you could just sleep in for an extra hour, and everything would be cool. That's not the case. This can actually throw off your circadian clock and make it even more difficult to get used to a new sleep schedule. One way to avoid this is to go to bed a half an hour earlier on Saturday night and wake up 30 minutes later on Sunday morning, Michael Breus, a fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine told Woman's Day.
4. Or Maybe Do Give In To It
Conversely, the National Sleep Foundation says to "Sleep in Sunday morning, and nap Sunday afternoon (not close to bedtime)." I like this piece of advice better.
5. Be Extra Careful The Next Day
Daylight Saving Time doesn't just affect your sleep. It can have a bunch of negative effects on your health. Researchers found that there were 25 percent more heart attack patients admitted to hospitals in Michigan the Monday following the Sunday when Daylight Saving Time began compared to the average number of cases on any given Monday, according to a study released last year. Though it's unclear if a cause-and-effect relationship exists, one of the factors in this spike could be the change in people's sleep-wake cycles the weekend before. Research has also shown that traffic accidents increase the Monday after Daylight Saving Time begins due to sleep deprivation.
Taking all of this into consideration, you might want to reduce your stress levels and limit your physical activity if you haven't been active in a while. You should also make sure to be extra-alert and careful while you're driving, especially if you're feeling like you didn't get as much sleep as you would have liked the night before. These are as good of reasons as any to get as much sleep as possible as you transition into Daylight Saving Time.
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