Tips for Adjusting to the Time Change

Falling back to Standard Time is touted as getting an extra hour of sleep and that's great but what happens after that first day? Our bodies have to adjust to everything happening an hour later so here are some tips to help you through the adjustment period.

Time changes are rough on a body. Think about all of the things that change. Schedules for kids and animals switch by a solid sixty minutes. That is a lot all at once so here is how to make the adjustment a little at a time.

Start the adjustment the week before. I will make a note of that for next time because it is too late for me now.

After eating massive amounts of sugar to stay awake this morning I realized that my high only lasted a short time and I feel the need to take a nap even thought I slept for almost eight hours last night. So what's the deal? According to Refinery29 online, "When our schedules are thrown off, it's natural to feel a little sluggish and turn to sweets...but those will only end up making you feel worse." Now they tell me. They suggest keeping good snacks on hand like "veggies, lean proteins, nuts, seeds, and complex carbs."

After my sugar binge this morning, I see a nap in my future today. According to the story "Tips To Help Adjust To Daylight Savings Time Change," posted by the Huffington Post, "If you need to nap, do it mid-afternoon at the latest and for a maximum of 30 minutes. Napping in the late afternoon or for longer periods can interfere with your body’s natural wake-sleep rhythms." I do notice that I feel worse if I take a super long nap instead of a shorter power nap.

Staying hydrated helps your body function so make sure to drink more water during this time transition. Obviously smaller adjustments, a little at a time would be best but if you didn't prepare ahead of the time change day, you will have to jump an hour back in time with the rest of us.

By next week our bodies should be all caught up and the only bummer will be that it gets darker an hour earlier and then some because the daylight hours lessen as we go deeper into the winter months.