DST (Daylight Saving Time) got you down? Here's the simplest strategy to fall back this year!
Keep reading to learn the most powerful way to manage the time change.
Whether you dread the dark cold nights of winter or whether you look forward to this time of joy and celebration during the end of year holidays, something we all have to deal with twice a year is DST (Daylight Saving Time). This time of year it’s all about turning the clocks back one hour and even though the idea is that we’re gaining one hour of sleep in the middle of the night, I still keep the same simple strategy for both time changes in Spring and in Autumn.
My reason is simple : I don’t like society telling me whether or not I’m going to lose or gain an hour of sleep, especially not while I’m sleeping. I prefer to feel empowered and in control of my waking and sleeping hours. This is a little clue as to my simple strategy I share with you below.
There are a lot of articles out there about how to readjust your sleep time so that it syncs up nicely to the new time without feeling any “jet lag” from the 1-hour time difference. This can be especially helpful if you have kids and they have a very regular bedtime. If you have kids and they’re already going to bed later than you want, this time change can be a big help in them falling asleep earlier without having to do much.
However, I don’t know many adults that keep the exact same bedtime each night so it can be confusing about whether or not it’s realistic to implement this adjustment period. Plus, it’s really hard already to get to sleep at our ideal bedtime let alone move it gradually to an hour later in increments of 15-minutes.
So, what’s really going on at this time of year that can make this time change feel so challenging? There are a lot of things that can be going on for each individual and I would invite you to think about what’s going on for you and how you’d like to shift that around the time change coming up this weekend for Europe and the following weekend for the Americas.
Aside from the more personal memories, emotions and thoughts coming up for you here are some things that are at work overall in this season :
We’re heading into the darkest two months of the year between the time change and the Winter Solstice (the longest night of the year) and this time change makes that shift unavoidable.
The darkness of the season, while I mentioned in a recent email makes it the best time to work on improving your sleep, it can bring up a lot of memories of winters past where mood, immunity and energy were low and that can bring up that feeling of dread.
This time, while joyous in the lead up to different holidays near the end of the year, whether we celebrate them or not, also is the kick-off to one of the busiest times of the year which can induce a bit of underlying stress.
All the memories of feeling disoriented the Sunday after the time change as if someone played around with the clocks while you slept and you just can’t be sure if you’ve got the right time for the things you scheduled for that day.
If you’re struggling with sleep, it can feel daunting to have one more hour to contend with overnight.
The last issue that I’m hearing from clients is that they feel forced to endure this time change including all of the above without any say of their own.
This last point leads me into sharing my simple strategy for turning Daylight Saving Time into your ally for entering into this season of darkness and hibernation with empowerment, energy and even enthusiasm.
All you need to do is to change the clock back before you go to sleep!
Changing the clock back before you go to sleep (either on an old-fashioned watch or simply in your head since most of our clocks today are digital and switch back automatically) can have a massive positive ripple effect. Here are some of the benefits :
You are prioritizing adding an hour to your Saturday nighttime ritual vs an hour of your Saturday night’s sleep. It’s a huge mindset shift that accompanies this simple act of deciding you will change the clock back before you start your nighttime ritual. It will also help reduce any social jet lag that can occur on that Sunday morning when you may more easily sleep an extra hour, especially if you wake up with an alarm clock.
You will feel less disoriented on the Sunday when you wake up because you will have gone to sleep knowing you’re already synced up to the new time on Sunday morning.
You can more intentionally embrace the darkness of this season as a part of our cyclical seasonal life here on Earth. There will be light after the darkness and while we’re here, let’s make the most of it.
If you really struggle with the dark months either because it puts stress on your immune system and/or your overall mood, you can choose to enter this season with heartfelt intentions to have compassion and kindness towards yourself and to take care of yourself in ways that you may not have allowed yourself in previous years, like investing in your sleep. I know that this is a big one for me following a really tough end of year last year.
When you change the clocks intentionally before bed, you don’t wake up feeling like someone tinkered with the clocks while you slept. It’s so much more empowering to do it yourself when you’re still awake.
Let me know what you think about this super simple strategy for DST and especially, how you feel the Sunday after the time change in your neck of the woods.
If you’re ready to improve your sleep in this season of darkness, I’m here to help you do just that. You can join my waitlist by scheduling a call with me HERE and if we decide to work together on your sleep and rest, you will be next in line for the next 1:1 coaching spot that opens up.
xo Alex, Your Sleep and Rest Coach