Falling back: How daylight savings impacts your sleep

Sleep is one of the most important things we do to restore the body and the mind. During this time, many people are feeling overwhelmed and just plain fatigued around every day life. Getting an extra hour of sleep could sound heavenly and begin the shift in our circadian rhythm.

This Sunday, the first Sunday in November, time will change at 2:00 am. This shift in time can actually cause sleep disturbances for the next several days. An article by Dr. Yvonne Harrison in the Sleep Medicine Reviews concludes that one-hour shift in the sleep cycle can affect sleep for up to a week.

Does this sound familiar, you notice that you have a little more difficultly falling asleep – so you go to bed a little later. You might also notice that you wake up a little earlier. What's worse, you might notice that you wake up in the middle of the night. This is because your body has it’s own sleep cycle so just because the time changes doesn’t mean that your body automatically changes with it.

If you are an early riser like me, you probably have more difficulty with the adjustment than others. If you tend to get less than 7.5 hours per night you also feel this change more than the average sleeper.

Here are a few behaviors that can help you to get your sleep back on track.

If you start going to bed a few minutes earlier each day this week (10 to fifteen minutes), it can balance the time change a little bit. Exercising can also help get your circadian rhythms back on track after the time change. Never doubt the power of exercise to improve sleep.

If you are experiencing sleep issues beyond the daylight savings, you need sign up for our hormone seminar!! Set aside some time tomorrow and join in because you'll learn what to do and how to get the sleep you need.

Hormones are the reason for so many health issues, including poor sleep. If you are suffering from any persistent health challenges including hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, hot flashes, menopause or heart disease, you need to join in our webinar about hormones. Free for all, register to join in tomorrow at 6pm!