March is the start of springtime, the season that indicates we are getting closer to summers and long daytimes. The daylight time increases and nights get shorter. The catch? Many of us might lose an hour or two of sleep because of these changes. It should not seem significant, but one less hour of nighttime can throw your sleep cycle out of whack- that is if you don’t prepare before time.
How to adjust to spring
In a similar fashion to fatigue, losing an hour or two of sleep in the spring is tougher to regulate than gaining an hour in the fall when nights become longer. Even the most menial tasks like waking up for school or work and making breakfast may seem tough to do. Our biological time, or internal clock, controls our sleep cycle and is essentially full of environmental cues- light being one among them. Light inhibits the production of melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone, in our bodies. Waking before the Sun has fully risen can confuse our bodies into thinking we must still be sleeping, making us feel tired, imbalanced, or stressed for the rest of the day.
Start going to bed earlier
You can ease your body into the time change by starting your nighttime routine an hour or two earlier in the evening leading up to the beginning of spring. This could be especially helpful for tiny children, who often feel the results of the time change more than adults. Fix your alarms to an earlier time to adjust to the changes. Start having dinner earlier so that you can start your bedtime routine and exercises earlier.
Be consistent
Wake up at a similar time each morning to keep your sleep cycle more consistent and regular. This means keeping the same routine even on weekends! Although sleeping can make you feel more rested in a short term, it causes difficulties falling asleep and staying awake during the whole week. Getting out of bed at a similar time every morning is your best bet to improve sleep and wake functioning.
A regular sleep schedule supported by one predetermined waking up time will help you to feel more rested throughout the year. Getting up at the same time is way more important than going to the bed at the same time, though the consistency of bedtime is also important. Avoid taking a nap if it’s not a part of your typical routine, as weather changes can trigger laziness.
Enjoy the longer evenings
One great perk about springtime is that there’s more sunlight in the evenings, ie, the days are longer. Enjoy the natural lighting outside or keep your curtains open if you have to remain indoors. Sunlight helps naturally reset your body clock. Letting natural light get into your bedroom in the morning also aids in greater alertness after you wake up, and makes your day better.
Exercise
Being physically active every day is good for your health and it can facilitate you to sleep better, too. Choose to walk or run outdoors during daylight where you’re exposed to natural sunlight. But try and avoid working out too near your bedtime. It’s best if you are able to allow a minimum of two hours to cool down from exercise before retiring to bed.
Be mindful of what and after you eat and drink.
Eat dinner earlier in the evening to assist your body to wind down for bedtime. Try and avoid spicy or fatty foods, especially when bedtime is approaching. They usually cause indigestion and insomnia. Avoid caffeine and alcohol later in the day so you go to sleep more easily.
Reduce screen time
Television, tablets, and phones may help you to unwind for the evening, but they will stimulate your brain and make it harder to go to sleep. Try avoiding hand-held screens and computer displays a minimum of two hours before bed, and avoid television a minimum of an hour before bedtime.
Stretch or Meditate
Stretching before retiring to bed can relax your muscles and get rid of any built-up tension or stress that may keep you awake at night, aiding better sleep. Yoga poses can relax both your body and your brain and help you unwind at the end of the day. If you’ve never tried meditating, this is also a great exercise to quiet down your busy mind, reduce stress, and control anxiety. Yoga done right can help you sleep better and deeper than ever before and reduce the chances of you waking up at night. You will wake up well rested.
Complete An Uninteresting Task
Force your brain to sleep. By reading a calming book, listening to a podcast by someone with a monotone or baritone voice, or performing a tedious, low-energy activity, you may get sleepy. If you don’t give your brain any worthwhile stimulation, it can wind down and get sleepy on its own.
However, avoid blue light from screens before bedtime. Don’t resort to your phone, laptop, or any other type of screen for a boring dull activity, even watching a movie. The blue light emitted will trick your brain into thinking it’s daytime and make you feel even less tired than you already do. Listening to anything helps. Invest in good earphones or speakers
Spring on to your new bed
March has begun and the spring fast approaches, it’s time to throw out the old and in with the new! What could be a better place to start spring cleaning than your bedroom. Consider the age of your mattress and check on its condition. If it’s old and stiff or sagging, it could be affecting the quality of your sleep.
There’s no better time to spruce up your bed with a new, high-quality premium mattress than the start of a new season. Livpure offers a wide variety of mattresses for your sleeping needs. Whether you have back problems, allergy problems, environmental consciousness, or are just tight on budget, Livpure offers all solutions for you. Spring calls for a time to add luxurious, cooling cotton sheets to your bed too. Find it all on our website.
Conclusion
Keeping all the tips in mind, start making bedtime routine changes right now to slowly get adjusted to the fast approaching summers with longer days and shorter nights. And anyway, healthy bedtime hygiene will only help you in the long term. There is no harm in practicing all our tips all throughout the year, with a few adjustments through changing time schedules during spring and fall. Stay healthy and sleep well.
