Fall back to good sleep habits

Saturday night we turned the clocks back to save daylight hours – and who wasn’t ready for a cuddle up, snug-in-bed Sunday morning sleep-in? Sleep deprivation is such a common part of our hectic lives that we anticipate the time change with dread. Flip the switch on your perspective and look at this week’s time change as an opportunity to brush up on good sleep habits.

Falling back is easier.

While the autumn time change is a much easier adjustment than its springtime counterpart, we can still expect about a week to pass before our internal clocks reset.

But this week the change is in our favor.

Both morning and evening feel later, so we’re more rested in the mornings but tired enough to fall asleep at night. And our bodies appreciate the extra shut-eye. Heart attacks rates drop in the weeks immediately following the November time change and traffic fatalities decline dramatically. Studies show that for up to a week after the autumn time shift people feel more rested and report a better mood.

Five tips to reboot your sleep routine.

Imagine the health benefit realized by using this week’s adjustment phase to reboot sleep routines and establish better sleep health. Reclaiming lost sleep will restore vitality and revitalize your body and mind. Here are some ideas to help you do it.

1. Consider your bedroom sacred space, and only use it for sleep. Remove the TV. Read in your favourite chair. Climb under the covers only when you’re ready to nod off.

2. If you can’t drift off within 20 minutes, get up and do something quiet. Try a warm drink or read a book to soothe your jangled nerves.

3. Go outside for a brief walk in the morning. The extra sunlight early in the day will help your internal clock reset.

4. If you need a nap, keep it between 15-30 minutes. Longer than that can disrupt nighttime sleep and leave you feeling sluggish for the rest of your day.

5. Avoid food and beverages that will keep you awake. Caffeine and food with refined sugars will inhibit sleep. Alcohol may help you doze off, but it will disrupt your sleep within a few hours and deny you the truly restful, regenerative portion of shut-eye.

6. Schedule your worry time so it doesn’t coincide with bedtime. Write down what’s troubling you, but leave problem solving until morning.

Are you in need of a sleep health reboot? What could you do for yourself to get a better night’s rest?

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