4 Ways to Prepare for Daylight Savings

Since spring is long gone now, Soon our clocks will “Fall Back” an hour the coming Sunday. So, what does that mean for us, and what does that mean for seniors as well? Research has been shown that such an abrupt time change can cause some sleep disruptions to our internal clocks. This also happens to affect our exposure to sunlight because of this change. This is also known as throwing off our body’s “Circadian Rhythm”, or in other words, our internal clock. There are ways to prepare for the abrupt time loss, and we’re here to help share them.

1. Adjust your Schedule: Before the clock “Fall’s Back” this year, it may be best to adjust your schedules 15–20 minutes early. By doing so, you’ll be able to slowly adjust to the time shift. This can be thought the activities you scheduled beforehand. By doing so, you’ll soon begin to adjust to this time change.
2. Sleep well beforehand: Another step is getting a good night's sleep before the change. You may already be feeling tired beforehand. To avoid sleep deprivation, you can work on setting an earlier time for sleep. This way, you can build up a reserve of extra sleep. This makes it easier to stay awake during the day and avoid dozing off.
3. Creating relaxation techniques: These can range from simple breathing exercises to mindfulness activities. Doing these can also help to relax oneself before going to sleep. Relaxation techniques can also assist so you won’t be woken up in the night.
4. Prioritize Sunlight Exposure: Since sunlight will become short this time of year, getting enough sunlight is just as important as ever. Natural sunlight is another way of helping our body's internal clock adjust to the shifting times of light and dark. Since it’s a bit chilly nowadays, instead of going outside, sit in a room that has a lot of sunshine.

It may take a while to adjust to this time shift, depending on how some people’s sleep cycles work. As long as we work around adjusting to this time shift, it could end up as nothing to worry about.

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