Is Daylight Savings Time Bad for Your Health? 4 Strategies for Feeling Rested and Refreshed Despite the Time Change

Available for Interviews: Saundra Dalton-Smith, MD

Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith is an internal medicine physician, a work-life integration researcher, and an international expert on mind-body-spirit connection. She is also an international speaker and bestselling author of Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity.

What Dr. Dalton-Smith  Can Say in an Interview on:
Daylight Savings Time:

When we “spring forward” on March 14, many will complain about losing just one hour of sleep. Is one hour of sleep a big deal? Studies show an increase in heart attacks on the Monday following the time shift, and within the first 48 hours after the time change, a spike in automobile fatalities.

What are the physical changes that occur in everyone’s bodies when seasons and schedules change?

What are the pros and cons of losing sleep in the morning for an extra hour of sunlight in the evening?

How do we get a quality night’s sleep?

How can parents help their children acclimate to time changes?

Here are 4 strategies for feeling rested and refreshed
despite the time change
:
  1. Shift your sleep schedule. Your body has an ideal number of hours it needs to feel at its best. You can prepare your body for daylight savings adjustments by shifting your bed time 20–30 minutes earlier in the days leading up to the time change.
  2. Increase exposure to natural light in AM. Natural sunlight has a powerful effect on the circadian rhythm. Studies show the body to be most sensitive to light within the first hour after waking and two hours before going to bed. Early AM exposure will help to set your sleep cycle to be ready for bed sooner. Excessive PM light can make it harder for you to fall asleep.
  3. Decrease sensory overload.Excessive use of electronics throughout the day and overstimulation prior to bedtime can make it difficult for your body to transition from your busy day to a restful night’s sleep. Even if you find it difficult to refrain from your gadgets, consider other ways to decrease some sensory input including dimming your computer screen, streamlining the number of notifications you receive, and silencing background noise.
  4. Incorporate restorative evening activities.When you feel exhausted, first determine where you expended the most energy during your day. Once you identify the area of your rest deficit, you can intentionally do restorative activities to help prepare yourself for sleep.

 

Interview: Saundra Dalton-Smith, MD

Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith runs a consulting and coaching business in Birmingham, AL that helps leaders and high-achievers reshape their view on change, communication, and self-care to optimize their personal and professional effectiveness. She is an international wellness expert and has been featured in numerous media outlets including Fast Company, FOX, MSNBC, Prevention, Psychology Today, Redbook, and Women’s Day. Dalton-Smith is also an international speaker, a CDC Wellness Series speaker, and hosts a podcast I Choose My Best Life. She is the author of numerous books including her newest bestselling Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity, which includes ground-breaking insight on the seven types of rest needed to optimize your productivity, increase your overall happiness, overcome burnout, and live your best life. Over 100,000 people have discovered their personal rest deficits using her free assessment at RestQuiz.com. Learn more about her at: DrDaltonSmith.com.

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