Spring Forward Healthy Sleep Checklist!

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As we move our clocks forward with daylight savings time into another spring, I thought it might be timely to talk about sleep health! Pardon the pun;-)

The truth is, most people struggle with consistent quality sleep on a good day so it only makes sense to bring this topic to light at this time ~ another pun but stay with me ;-)  We know that sleep deprivation is a thing but have you ever considered how this 1 hour of sleep lost contributes to sleep debt?  It’s real & worthy of a conversation so let’s talk.

As a health professional, I speak a lot about the Core Four Health Habits with rest being one of them.  Tackling daylight savings time this year can feel like it’s even more of an uphill battle with the last 12 months of covid living impacting our mental health, overall feelings of fatigue & these “groundhog days” of living.

Here are 5 healthy sleep tips for you to use today but the back-to-basics simplicity of them make them a useful checklist to circle back around any time of the year!

1. CATCH SOME RAYS: get outside into the sunshine to assist your body’s internal clock & help your body to adjust you sleep-wake cycle & circadian rythmn. 
2. KNOW YOUR SLEEP NEEDS: protecting your sleep & making it a priority is something too many folks drop the ball on.  In fact, for most of us, sleep is the first thing we let go of in the rush of life.  If you’ve gotten so far from knowing how much sleep your body actually needs, use a day when you don’t have to get up early to not set the alarm clock & see how long your body wants to sleep.  You might be surprised & this will be useful for you in possibly readjusting your afternoon / evening schedule. 
3. BE FIRST: knowing everyone will be “showing up” in a sleepier than normal state tomorrow & this week, be sure to plan well so that you’re not rushing your day &... if you can, lighten your schedule.  The general population will be struggling from lack of sleep with side effects in performance, mental clarity, daytime fatigue & even worsened vision… so plan well knowing that it’s a day when errors & accidents are more common.
4. MOVE YOUR BODY: a 30 minute walk goes a long way every day, but double the benefits with daylight savings time!  Get outside to invite the natural light to help cue your body in sync with your day-night cycle, allow those sunshine filled rays to hit your skin, breath the fresh air into your lungs & elevate your heart rate with a brisk walk because all of these are incredibly beneficial for overall wellness!
5. DITCH THE STIMULANTS: caffeine, alcohol, tobacco & technology are all sleep disruptors. If this feels like too much to take on, limit the amount & time of these consumed, especially the hours before bed.  Oh & while we’re here… late dinners & evening snacks fall into this category.  The short fact of this is that the body innately digests what we put into it & regardless of how tired we are, the body is going to do the work it’s designed to do so if there is work in the pipeline… it’s going to get “processed”.  This ultimately disturbs our sleep quality, at best. This is bigger than most truly understand but if you’re curious to learn more, connect with me about the lifestyle program I personally live & promote.

BONUS TIP: create an environment conducive to restful, quality sleep: quiet & dark with a temperature in the range of 60 to 75 degrees.  Some of my favorite affordable tools for success:

• Sleep mask
• White noise maker
• Ear plugs

I hope this helps you transition into spring feeling less foggy headed & excited about the longer & brighter days!

See you on the sunny side friends!

Jenn