Ah, daylight savings time—the double-edged sword: a yearly rite of exhaustion and the official sign of spring. And even though you’re only losing an hour of sleep, studies have found increased rates in workplace and traffic accidents on the Monday after springing ahead.
Here are a few ways to handle the changing clock:
Start Early
“The 24 hour clock in our brains prefers that you to go to bed later rather than earlier—something that most people naturally do on weekends,” says James Wyatt, Ph.D., and Director, Sleep Disorders Service and Research Center at Rush University Medical Center. So instead of sending your circadian rhythm into a tailspin Sunday when you have to head to bed sooner, Wyatt suggests splitting the hour and starting on Saturday night.
Begin your evening processes a half hour earlier—hit the gym or eat dinner earlier so that you’ll be in bed 30 minutes before you usually are. Do the same on Sunday. This will give your body more time to process the change, weakening the blow.
Get Some Sun Sunday Morning
Every day our body clocks reset. How? A light/dark cycle, for one. To help it adjust to a new time, take a bike ride or head out for a jog Sunday a.m. The sunlight will shift your body clock to an earlier position, helping your brain remember it’s earlier, says Wyatt.
Check Your Sleep
Don’t notice any change at all? You might need to log some more z’s. Seeing no effect could be a signal that your body clock is being overridden by your sleep deprivation, Wyatt says. Is your city sleep deprived?
Just like the fire department urges you to check your smoke alarms twice a year, daylight savings does the same. It’s a good time to look at your sleep pattern. And for those who haven’t been sleeping so well, it’s a wakeup call, Wyatt says. If your sleeping skills have been lacking, establish a ritual before bed—repetition conditions your brain and body for sleep. And check out our other tips on how to sleep right tonight.