TODAY’S SPECIAL EDITION MINI RESOLUTION SPRING FORWARD INTO BETTER SLEEP

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Welcome to a Special Edition of Motivated Mondays: Spring Forward into Better Sleep! Today, we’ll explore just how the Daylight Savings Time change impacts our health and what we can do to prep our bodies

CCP helps you stay on track!
 
Continue to use our log to to track your progress toward our mini resolution. This month, we encourage you to try one sleep tip per week. Log which tip you selected and the result(s) you experienced.
 
For questions or assistance, email your Motivated Mondays Coach Michele McCambridge:
 
[email protected]

Spring Forward into Better Sleep

Each year, we “spring forward” into Daylight Saving Time (DST) on the second Sunday in March (March 8, 2026) and “fall back” to Standard Time on the first Sunday in November (November 1, 2026). While the extra evening daylight was originally intended to conserve energy, research has since identified several potential adverse health effects associated with the time change.
 
For a variety of reasons, many experts believe we should eliminate the twice-yearly time change and stick with one standard year-round—either permanent Daylight Savings Time or permanent Standard Time. Most scientists agree the latter is best, as Standard Time is well-established to be more aligned with our primitive CR.
 
But for now, no such changes have been made, and we’ll be switching to Daylight Saving Time next weekend. Hopefully our Sleep Better mini resolution has you ahead of the game, feeling well-rested and ready for the shift!

Daylight Savings & Our Health
 
Beyond an already sleep-deprived society losing yet another hour of sleep, what is the reason DST can be disruptive to our health?
 
You may recall from previous discussions that the Circadian Rhythm (CR) is the body’s master biological clock regulating sleep, behavior, hormone levels, body temperature, digestion and metabolism. Remember too that almost every cell in your body has its own CR. The primary driver of the CR is our exposure to lightness and darkness. For optimal functioning, our CR requires exposure to bright light during the day which keeps us alert and reduced amounts of light in the evening to induce drowsiness to get a good night’s rest. However, the opposite happens after DST when it is darker in the morning and lighter in the evening, and your body’s natural CR becomes misaligned with the clock.
 
A misaligned CR will leave you groggy in the morning hours and alert before bed—much like jet lag if you travel West to East. What’s more, a misaligned CR will interfere with your sleep patterns AND disrupt the appropriate timing of the release of hormones which impact hunger/satiety, mood, immunity, and metabolism.

 
The following stats have also been observed in the window of time shortly after DST:

• 30% increase in vehicle traffic accidents the day after DST goes into effect
• 5.7% increase in work accidents
• 3.9% increase in myocardial infarctions (heart attacks)
• 3% increase in disorders of the digestive system in females and a 6% increase in disorders of the digestive system in males
• Increased risk of substance abuse
• Increase in reported mental and behavioral health disorders
• Increase in sundowning in Alzheimer’s patients

Preparing for DST
 
Rest assured (pun intended!) we can start priming our bodies now ahead of the impending time change. Many of these are repeat tips from the past few weeks.

Sleep & Play
 
Starting tomorrow night, you may try going to bed 15 minutes earlier each evening than the night before until the change happens. This will make that initial hour-long loss of sleep less challenging.
 
To avoid a bad cycle of not sleeping and trying to catch up on sleep and then not sleeping again, limit any naps to 20 minutes in duration next Sunday and Monday.
 
Keep a regular exercise routine, but avoid it close to bedtime when it might interfere with sleep.
 
Consider a lighter schedule that Sunday, 3/8, and Monday, 3/9, to allow your body to adjust.

Daylight, Daylight, Daylight!
 
From the time you rise until just after dinner, get as much exposure to daylight as possible. If it’s dark when you rise, try a sunrise alarm clock or head to the window with your AM cup of java, look outside for a few moments. Allow your eyes to be exposed to natural light, even if isn’t quite bright enough yet (be sure never to look directly into the sun).
 
If you work at desk, whether at home or in the office, try sitting near a window, if possible, consider desktop light therapy, and walk outside after eating lunch! The former is a powerful biohack that we will keep repeating all year long! It is invaluable as a mental health break, as it manages post-prandial blood glucose and helps you sleep better at night by syncing your CR.

What What You Consume
 
In conjunction with your concierge physician, consider eating within a time restricted window during daylight hours.
 
How quickly you metabolize caffeine is genetic, so you know best if it stimulates you and keeps you awake at night. If it does, have your last dose of caffeine 8 hours from your planned bedtime, half of it should be metabolized by then.
 
Myth buster! There is very little actual caffeine in chocolate. If you find chocolate stimulating, it is likely the effect of theobromine, a component of the cacao bean and in highest concentration in dark chocolate.
 
Consider ditching the night cap. Alcohol may help you fall asleep faster, but can disrupt your sleep through the night, causing you to wake up and interfering with the deep restorative stages of sleep.

Nighttime Blue Light
 
As the night draws to a close, you can start to dim the artificial lights. This means:

• Dimming the overhead lights
• Reducing screen time or adjusting the brightness after a certain hour and logging off altogether 1-2 hours prior to bedtime
• Ditch the TV. Instead, try reading a good old fashioned paper book or journaling

See you next week as we carry on our mini resolution to sleep better!