How to Conquer Daylight Savings with Sleep Awareness Week
As February came and went in what felt like a blink of an eye, the first week of March is rolling in bringing with it two important events: Sleep Awareness Week and Daylight Savings. Each event ultimately emphasizes the importance of our sleeping habits and the overall consequences of not receiving enough sleep each night.
Sleep Awareness week, sponsored by the National Sleep Foundation, provides the opportunity to reassess oneâs sleeping habits. Lasting until Sunday, the week of sleep awareness serves as a reminder of the importance of sleep upon oneâs health. For the average adult, 7-9 hours of sleep are necessary for proper functioning, yet few adults truly consider sleep a top priority.
Like any holiday or event related to sleep, Lull could not be more excited to celebrate. If youâre anywhere near as excited as we are about Sleep Awareness Week, here are 3 ways you can make the most of this week:
Treat yourself to new bedding
What a better way to get into the spirit of better sleeping habits, than by investing in new premium quality bedding. To really be achieving quality sleep each night you are sure to need a mattress that can cater to your body, silky soft sheets, cloud-like pillows to support your neck, and a duvet that keeps you cozy at night! With Lullâs sale, you can be saving more than daylight, as weâre offering $150 off any mattress. Itâs practically the perfect time to really take your quality of sleep up a notch!
Begin a sleep log/journal
Keeping track of the hours of sleep you get each night is a great way to make sure youâre staying conscious of your habits. In the spirit of Sleep Awareness Week, now is perhaps the best time to start! Get yourself a small journal that can fit on your bedside, and begin logging what time you go to sleep and wake up. You can and even start taking note of how the night felt for you (maybe the quality of your sleep, or the kind of dreams you had).
Catch up on sleep!
Becoming aware of your sleeping habits may have led you to realize that youâre not getting a sufficient amount of sleep each night. Take this week to slowly adjust your sleep schedule and get some needed extra sleep. This one is especially important, given by Sunday we will be losing an hour of sleep, so youâll want to take this week to begin preparing.
Ironically, as Sleep Awareness Week reminds all of us the importance of sleep, Daylight Savings will be coming in to take away our sleep. On Sunday clocks will jump forward, which will cost us an hour of sleep, making Sleep Awareness week all the more important. Youâll really need to make the time you do have count as you reflect on, and perhaps adjust, your sleeping habits.
As we gain an hour of sunlight, consequently losing an hour of sleep at night, there are unfortunate effects that can follow. Losing sleep in any way can have a negative impact on your health, and can make starting the new week that much more difficult. But not to fret, because there are ways you can prepare! Here are some quick tips on how to prepare for Daylight Savings:
Gradually transition
As you will already be celebrating Sleep Awareness Week, help yourself prepare for Daylight Savings by gradually transitioning your internal clock. From now until Sunday, try to go to bed just a little more early each night, until you reach a whole hour. Doing this will allow you to wake up the following Monday feeling right on track!
Exercise
During the week and especially on Sunday, be sure to exercise for at least 30 minutes. Doing so will promote drowsiness later in the day making it easier to fall asleep earlier at night. Try to exercise during the day, rather than right before bed as to not disrupt your bodyâs natural need to wind down at night.
No artificial lights!
When going to bed, completely avoid bringing any form of artificial screen light with you. Trying to fall asleep earlier can be difficult enough as it is, so you wonât want anything keeping you up. Blue screen lights tend to keep you awake and alert rather than promote drowsiness, so ditch the screens for the night.
Sleep Awareness Week serves as a reminder of how important it will be to properly and diligently prepare for the hour we will lose due to Daylight Savings. Celebrate Sleep Awareness Week as preparation for Daylight Savings, and youâll be starting your next week refreshed and rejuvenated.