It's time to 'spring forward': How to adjust to Sunday's time change
Get ready to 'spring forward' one hour on Sunday, Mar. 10, for daylight saving time
It is already time to 'spring forward'!
The clocks move up one hour on Sunday, Mar. 10, at 2 a.m. local time, and it may leave you feeling extra groggy as we do away with an hour of sleep.
QUICK FACTS:
Clocks 'spring forward' one hour at 2 a.m. Sunday, Mar. 10
Observed in all of Canada with some exceptions, including most of Saskatchewan
Daylight Saving Time is observed in around 70 countries
Timekeeping is considered a provincial and territorial responsibility
Heather Young, a certified child sleep consultant with Good Night Sleep Site Waterloo, says planning ahead is key to making the transition a little easier.
“A general rule of thumb is that for every hour of time change that you experience, it takes about a day for our bodies to adjust,” she explains. “Some of the other things that can influence that are how tired you are leading into the time change or whether you are getting to bed on time each subsequent night. So it can take a few days or even up to a week.”
RELATED: 5 benefits to keeping daylight saving time year-round
WHAT YOU’RE DOING WRONG
Many Canadians do not put enough emphasis on the importance of sleep and, subsequently, experience difficulties getting a good night's rest.
Here are a few things you may be doing that can make the switch over even harder:
Caffeine consumption too close to bedtime
Using technology within one hour of bedtime
Alcohol consumption too close to bedtime
Having too much sunlight in the bedroom
Not having a bedtime routine that signals your body that it is time for bed
Failing to block out sounds that will disrupt sleep
SEE ALSO: Five times DST got weird
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO
“Blackout blinds, eye masks, earplugs, or sound machines are all things we can add to our sleep routine in order to help us fall asleep easier and achieve higher-quality sleep,” Young says.
The temperature of your room is also important when planning for bedtime.
“The ideal temperature for sleep is somewhere between 19 and 22 degrees [Celsius],” explains Young. “As our bodies settle into sleep, our body temperature drops a couple of degrees; this temperature drop is actually what initiates sleep.”
If it’s difficult to cool your room down, Young suggests taking a hot bath or shower to help your body temperature rise and then drop. This can help you settle into sleep easier.
Watch the video above for more helpful tips from sleep expert Heather Young.
WATCH BELOW: Daylight Saving with children can be a nightmare, tips to soften the change
Header image courtesy of Getty Images
