Daylight Savings Time: Tips to help you Adjust Faster

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I know a lot of us cannot afford the sleep debt that comes with the time change every spring. I also used to have a very hard time with it. But on the bright side, what are you going to do with your evenings back? Does it change much else for you?

Where I am, it means we finally get gorgeous daylight until around 7 PM. This will keep increasing until the summer solstice in June, when twilight can last until 10 PM! Just yesterday, it was dark by 6 PM, so this is a huge leap in the right direction.

The best part about the time change—if you have small kids or pets—is that they’ll sleep until a normal time for about a week while their little bodies adjust.

The worst part? How deeply tired adults feel when they haven’t prepared for the adjustment. If you’re like Jas, you probably slept in this morning and have been playing catch-up all day.

How I Balance the Effects of the Time Change for Myself and My Family

1. Mark the Time Change on the Calendar

Setting a reminder a week before helps me ease into the transition. Making small adjustments to my sleep schedule beforehand makes waking up on time way easier when we lose that hour.

2. Get More Exercise

I’m an evening person, so getting that extra daylight after supper makes a big difference. As a woman, I take extra precautions after dark, so I tend to avoid hiking or outdoor workouts at night. This extra hour means I can get outside safely, and I see an immediate boost in my fitness data. More movement = better sleep and an easier adjustment to the new schedule.

3. Get More Daylight

Your circadian rhythm is real and influenced by how much daylight reaches your retinas in the morning and evening. Morning light helps kickstart energy for the day, while watching the sunset helps your body wind down naturally. Prioritizing both helps reset your internal clock to match the one on the wall. So, plan to spend some extra time outdoors in the week after the time change.

4. Set Alarms

Normally, I wake up between 6:45 and 7:15 AM without an alarm, which is enough time to get everyone ready for the day. But if I accidentally slept in an hour? Total chaos. Aside from travel days, the spring time change is one of the only times I set multiple alarms to make sure we’re up and moving on time. If you’re like me and cannot handle the abrasive tone of a phone or traditional alarm clock, try a daylight alarm which gradually brightens your room until it’s time to wake up, or if you have an Apple Watch, you can set your alarm to vibrate as you naturally begin easing out of sleep, even before your set alarm, so that you don’t begin a new sleep cycle and feel awful when it’s time to get up. 

5. Give Yourself Buffer Time

Time changes affect society in ways we don’t always notice—especially health and safety in the days following. I avoid overbooking myself this week and try to build in extra time between obligations.

• Less multitasking, meetings, and tight schedules.
• More mindfulness, flexibility, and slow sunsets.

If you’ve ever felt like the time change completely throws you off, try implementing a few of these strategies. It might just make the transition a little smoother!