Day 31 of 365 - Fall Back

Daylight Saving Time ended last night, meaning we turn our clocks back by one hour, or 'fall back' as I remember it.  I'm 64 years old and every year, I still get confused as to whether this is going to make the mornings darker or brighter!  Just as myself and my friends are getting despondent about it still being dark at almost 8 a.m. this time change comes along.  And, Hallelujah!  I realize, again, this morning that it's now brighter earlier in my day.

For those of us who have sleep issues, particularly with early awakening, the time change presents another puzzle piece to solve.  For me, I didn't really relish the idea of being awake for the day at 3 a.m.  (For parents of babies and toddlers, including my son and daughter-in-law, whose son is frequently waking very early with teething pain, it probably does not make much difference.)

Because I wake really early in the day, it's hard for me to stay awake in the evening.  I will often be falling asleep watching something on the TV at 8 p.m.  So, last night, it was a big effort to keep occupied so I would stay awake an hour past my usual bedtime of 9:30 or 10.  But, I did it.  And, even though I woke at my 'usual' time before 4 a.m. and just rested awake in bed until after 5, I did not feel like a zombie when I got up.

I've written in other posts about strategies to improve sleep and I'm obviously still trying to find just the right strategy for sleeping longer and being able to fall back to sleep when I wake very early. If I recall correctly, one of the strategies for correcting this early waking sleep cycle is to plan my bedtime in relation to my desired wake up time.  So, for example, to implement this plan, if I want to wake up at 6 a.m. and I usually get only about 6 hours sleep, I should stay up until midnight.  Then, after some success with that pattern, I would make my bedtime earlier until I can get my desired 8 hours.  I have yet to attempt this approach to adjusting my circadian rhythm.

Daylight Saving Time has been in practice, on and off, for a century now.  It was first implemented in North America during the First World War as a means to conserve fuel.  It has continued to the present as a way to take advantage of later daylight in the spring and summer months.  Apparently, the savings in energy costs is minimal in current day living.  Given that it confuses so many of us, and throws off already messed up circadian rhythms, maybe we'd be better off ditching it.  Some places in North America never did comply or have stopped the practice altogether over the years.

So, be gentle today, if others around you seem a bit off kilter.  Although we may be happier to have more daylight earlier in the day, it's an adjustment that may take a little time.








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