After months of practice, you’ve finally nailed it: You have found the perfect work and sleep schedule for the successful business woman you are. Only, come November six, your schedule will change again as clocks wind backward one hour. What’s a busy woman supposed to do? Here are ENTITY’s top five tips women can use to survive daylight saving!
If you know you have an early exercise class or a late Thursday night meeting, do you try to change your sleep schedule to reflect that? If not, that’s a practice you should definitely start – especially when it comes to daylight saving. Although “falling backward” and gaining an hour is usually easier than “springing forward” and losing one, you can still try to prepare your body for the time change. The Los Angeles Times suggests going to bed 15-20 minutes earlier in the spring. For the fall, simply do the reverse: Start going to bed 15-20 minutes earlier and waking up a bit earlier! By easing your way into the time change, you’re making post-daylight savings days easier, too.
When you hear names like Bill Clinton, Napoleon Bonaparte, Margaret Thatcher, Thomas Edison and Winston Churchill, you may think that their biggest similarities are their contributions to society. Actually, all of these famous figures are known for reaping the benefits of napping. If you accidentally stay up too late thanks to your “extra hour” this November and wake up groggy, a nap could be just what you need. As one college senior learned the hard way, though, naps are best kept short and sweet – otherwise you risk “majorly messing up your sleep schedule.”
To help you go to bed at a reasonable time, The Better Sleep Council advises men and women to avoid stimulants like caffeine and alcohol in the hours before bedtime. All of these can interfere with sleep habits … and could ensure that, instead of getting an extra hour of sleep, you wake up just as tired as usual. The LA Times seconds this suggestion, but also says people should avoid stimulating technology (ranging from TV to iPhones). Instead, try picking up that book or magazine that’s been sitting on your bedside table for weeks. And if your reading teaches you something new during that extra hour, even better!
Although this tip is probably even more important during “spring backward,” you should still be aware of driving dangers the day after daylight saving. Multiple studies have shown that the number of car crashes “increase significantly” the day after spring and fall daylight savings. In the case of fall, researchers credit the fact that women and men often take advantage of their extra long Sunday by staying out later. Alcohol consumption and sleepy driving likely also contributes to the increase in accidents.
So if you decide to have a girl’s night out this November six, you might want to come home a little earlier than you planned or use a ride-sharing service like Uber instead of driving yourself. Also, be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get to work the next morning. More men and women recovering from a late-night out could also mean more careless drivers.
What is one activity you’ve wanted to do for months, but just never had the time for? Whether it’s catching up on celebrity gossip with a friend, designing your own fashionable hair accessory or attending your favorite art museum, you now have an extra hour to dedicate your extra hour to this activity! As The Huffington Post explains, the day after fall daylight savings can be the perfect time to start – or upgrade – your morning exercise routine. Try committing to a morning workout for at least one week, using DST as the kickstart you need to make your goal a reality.
Finding your perfect daily work and sleep schedule isn’t easy and these big adjustments can make your day seem even harder. With these five tips, though, any woman can become one of the #WomenThatDo who knows how to survive – and thrive – through daylight savings time.
