Prepare Now to Make the Change of Time Less Frustrating
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to undo the time changes in time to avoid what happens this weekend, so most of us in the US will stick to our usual ritual of getting up early, forgetting that the time has changed at night. , then bother that the clock on our phone does not match the clock on the microwave and so on. Here’s how to be a little more prepared.
Know exactly when daylight saving time ends
Daylight saving time is what we call daylight saving time, and yes, it’s “daylight saving” time, singular. This time actually gets its own time zone abbreviation : EDT (Eastern Daylight Time) instead of EST (Eastern Standard Time) on the east coast with corresponding CDT, MDT and PDT nationwide. Thus, we are moving from daytime to standard time.
Daylight saving time ends at 2 am on Sunday, November 6, 2022. That’s when the clock “retreats”. If you change them manually, 2am becomes 1am. This means that if you are used to waking up at 7 am, you will open your eyes at the usual time and find that it is 6 am.
Decide how to spend your “extra” hour
The autumn change of time is a wonderful moment for me, a night owl. When I was younger, I would have been delighted if I didn’t get an extra hour of sleep and still feel overly tired in the morning. These days, I’m more likely to use time changes as an aid to my morning routine. I will get up at 6:30 (for example) instead of 7:30 and I can start an early workout or journal.
If you’re more of a morning person, this might be a little less enjoyable. You are going to fall asleep in front of the TV in the evening (earlier than usual, anyway). Maybe you should try to stay up so that in an hour you can start shifting your daily routine.
Plan for pets and children
For the beings in your home who are blissfully ignorant of the concept of standardized time, the routine is about to get a little weird. Most importantly, they will get hungry (and everything else) an hour “earlier” than usual.
If you think ahead, you can move breakfast to a later time . Instead of feeding your dog at 7, start feeding him now at 7:30 and you’ll be less likely to get a cold in your back at 6am this Sunday. (Your pet may take more than a few days to fully adjust to the new routine, but at least you can make the transition more gradual.)
The same goes for kids: expect them to wake up an hour earlier than the clock says they should, and get tired (and overtired) an hour earlier than usual. Gradually changing the routine will help, and you can explain the situation ahead of time to children who are old enough to understand.
What if you expect your own tummy to growl on cue? Consider gradually changing your meal times for yourself, or at least have a snack on hand in case you need to.
Expect a colder and darker evening
When daylight saving time ends, we stop “saving” an extra hour of sunlight in the evening. Your evening workout or evening commute will be darker and colder than before.
On the other hand, we will see the light earlier in the morning, which can be a good excuse for a morning walk that you might otherwise not take. (Morning light and morning exercise help set your biological clock and improve your mood for the day ahead.)
If you’re heading out for a run in the evening, check out our guide on how to wear your outdoor running clothes according to the temperature . You can also bring a flashlight with you.
Review your routine before bed
It may be easier to wake up after a time change, but the downside is that going to bed can be more difficult. This is a good time to take a look at your bedtime routine or even create a bedtime routine if you haven’t already.
We have a guide to good sleep hygiene here , but one of the most important tips is to give yourself a break in the evening – at least 30 minutes – when the lights are dim and you’re not looking at the screen. This is a good time to take a bath, read a book, or do whatever else you find relaxing. You will soon be locked into your new schedule – at least until our next time change.