Shine OnDaylight savings quick facts and tips to ease the hour loss of sleep
Spring is around the corner. More sunlight and warmth are on the way. This is the only solace to take this weekend as we lose a sweet, precious hour of sleep to daylight saving time goblins.
On Sunday at 2 a.m., we’re supposed to turn our clocks ahead one hour to prepare for the return of weather fit for human life. But more sunshine means less sleep – at least until our internal clocks adjust to external ones.
So as we get ready to stumble, bleary-eyed, into a new workweek, here are a few tips and facts to help ease us toward the inevitable.
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Heart-stopping: A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine back in 2008 claims there’s a seven per cent increase in heart attacks over the first three workdays after the clocks turn back.
Dr. Shelby Harris, sleep expert at New York’s Montefiore Medical Center, tells Fox News that the cardiovascular system is more vulnerable in the early hours of the morning. Pair that with a sudden, disorienting loss of sleep this can prove a fatal combination.
On the flip side, this risk decreases when the clocks roll back in the fall. But then again… winter. We can’t win.
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DST not for everyone: Perhaps we’d be wise to delete the concept entirely. While DST is a fact of life for most Canadians, residents of Saskatchewan and certain parts of B.C. will be sleeping soundly while the rest of us crawl toward the bathroom on Monday morning.
And they’re not the only geographical locations that have no use for this biannual clock change: Arizonans and Hawaiians also keep their 24-hour cycles uniform for the entire year.
For those of us who don’t have time to pack up our earthly belongings and move to Honolulu before Sunday, Dr. Sunita Kumar, a sleep expert at Loyola University Medical Center, offers a few tips on how to gear up for battle.
Insomniac's Nightmare: There’s little that strikes fear into the heart of insomniacs more than the thought of even less time to try and squeeze a bit of REM out of the night.
It’s hard enough for the chronically sleep deprived to regulate a body or mind that doesn’t want to shut down for the evening, but throw in a sharp schedule shift and everything can go awry.
“They always take a long time to fall asleep, but it’s a bit accentuated by the spring time-change,” Judith Davidson, adjunct assistant professor at Queen’s University, tells CBC.
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Nap-free zone: No matter how badly you want to curl up in the blankets for a Saturday nap, Kumar says no way, Jose. On the day before DST, it’s important that you stay conscious in order to ensure a smoother sleep time on Saturday night.
Early bedtime: Go to bed at least 15 minutes earlier Friday and then another 15 minutes earlier on Saturday. It will be less painful to wake up on Monday morning.
Blast that sunshine: Exposure to sunlight first thing in the Monday morning will give us both a mood and energy boost and remind us of the one, singular reason to be happy about daylight saving time.
What are some of the ways you prepare for DST? Share in the comments section below.
