Trouble Adjusting to Time Change?

Moving the clock back one hour in the fall -- and forward one hour in the spring -- affects your body’s internal clock. The disruption can leave you feeling irritable and groggy and can even be dangerous.  More heart attacks and car accidents occur when there’s a time change, research shows. 

Everyone has a different approach in making the adjustment. Some can adjust in a few days, but others take longer. These tips will help you deal with the time change:

  • Prepare a few days ahead. Adjusting your alarm clock by just 15 to 20 minutes, a day or two in advance, will help prepare your body clock.
  • Keep a consistent schedule. When you’re eating, social, bed and exercise times follow a consistent schedule during the transition, you’ll adjust easier. 
  • Enjoy morning sun. Expose yourself to bright morning light to help your body adjust to time change.
  • Don’t take long naps. While it’s tempting to take a mid-day nap, long daytime naps will only make it harder to get a full night’s sleep. If you need a nap, take it early -- and limit to 20 minutes, no longer. 
  • Avoid coffee and alcohol. Limit caffeine intake in the afternoon; especially four to six hours before bedtime. Alcohol affects sleep quality, so avoid drinking late at night. 

Best habits for good sleep

Kids need a bedtime routine, so do adults! 

Before bedtime, slow down your pace. No workouts before bedtime, or you risk raising your body’s core temperature -- making it harder to sleep. 

Shut down your cell phone, computer or tablet -- and the television. The high-intensity light from electronics stimulates your brain and prevents melatonin from triggering sleepiness. Instead, pick up a “real” book (not a tablet). 

When you stay consistent with your sleep schedule on weekends, that helps, too. While sleeping late feels good, it can disrupt your sleep schedule. 

If sleep problems continue, contact us 

If you continue to have disrupted sleep, along with daytime fatigue, consult with a SleepQuest Sleep Care Specialist to determine the underlying cause. You may have a sleep disorder -- like sleep apnea, a medical condition that depletes the body of oxygen while you sleep. Airways close off periodically throughout the night, which interrupts oxygen flow into the body. 

Snoring is the primary symptom of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the most common form of this disorder. 

Sleep apnea is very serious -- as this takes a toll on overall health, affects concentration during daytime, and leads to drowsy driving and high risk of accidents.

Sleep is restorative to the body and is essential to your overall health. Without treatment, you risk chronic health problems like heart disease, diabetes, even dementia. 

Take the first step and contact us for clarity on your sleep problems. With at-home sleep testing, you can get on the path to treatment that will restore your good night’s sleep. 

SleepQuest Sleep Care Specialists will guide you toward finding answers to your sleep problems.