It’s that time of the year again! The one where we all fast forward our clocks by an hour. Turning our clocks means that we get an hour less of sleep a night, right? That definitely can be the case. Is anyone else tired of this Daylight Savings time change and losing an hour of good night sleep? I know I am. This years’ Daylight Savings lands on Sunday, March 13 and we want to prepare you to keep those routines and habits going strong. So, let’s rewind and learn a bit of the history behind Daylight Savings and how this came about, the goods and the bads about having daylight savings, and get into how we can beat those Daylight Savings blues!
It’s time to make changes and keep those good habits going forward!
How Did Daylight Savings Come About?
People didn’t just make up a day called “Daylight Savings” and make people turn back their clocks during the fall and fast forward their clocks in the spring. There is lots of history of how Daylight Savings came about. Do you ever wonder how Daylight Savings started? Well, let me just rewind back in time and tell you about how we got to the point of Daylight Savings.
In ancient times, way before people had this invention called a clock, they would depend on shadows to keep track of time. They would tell time by seeing if shadows grew longer or shorter, depending on the sun and how much light the sun was giving.
Then in 1784, Benjamin Franklin wrote an essay contributing on how to limit changing sleep hours to conserve fuel of candles. Then in 1907, an Englishman named William Willet proposed the idea of changing clocks to preserve daylight. Even though, Willet was the one who proposed it, the Germans were the first ones who adopted Daylight Savings in 1916 to conserve energy during WWI. Many other countries then adopted Daylight Savings Time and is still following it to this day.
Although, Daylight Savings Time change is used by many countries worldwide, it is not used by all. Essentially the purpose of Daylight Savings is to make better use of the sunlight, which is why there is more daylight during the summer months and during the winter, it gets darker quicker.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Daylight Savings
Many people have their own opinions on what they think of Daylight Savings and everyone’s opinions is valid. Here are some of the benefits and drawbacks of having Daylight Savings:
Benefit: Daylight is maximized
With more daylight, people tend to wake up earlier naturally and get more tasks done throughout the day such as participating in fitness activities, which cannot be done during the wintertime. It also allows people to be in a better mood as the sun will be out!
Benefit: Reduction in car accidents
With more time for daylight, there will be a reduction in car accidents as people are able to see better in the daylight versus the nighttime. People are usually more awake during the day compared to nighttime as they are more alert of their surroundings.
Drawback: Sleep patterns will be disrupted
Many of us most likely sleep late and must wake up early for work. Having Daylight Savings can be a big disruptor to our health. Did you know that disrupted sleep patterns can cause many health problems such as hormonal imbalance, memory issues, mood changes and much more. To learn more on the effects of not having enough sleep, check out this article “The Effects of Sleep Deprivation in Your Body”!
Time challenges
In addition to sleep patterns being disrupted, many people can experience the challenge of adjusting to the time difference. Being unable to adjust to the time difference can cause people to be late for the following days’ activities.
How to Beat Daylight Savings Blues
With having Daylight Savings, your body might have a hard time adjusting to the time change and here we will provide you with tips and tricks on how to beat Daylight Savings Blues.
Make sure to change all your clocks
Your electronic devices will automatically change as the time hits Daylight Savings, but have you ever noticed what clocks don’t automatically change? Some clocks that don’t automatically change can be your alarm clocks, stove clocks, microwave clocks and much more. To avoid being confused about the time the day of Daylight Savings, make sure to change all clocks the night before Daylight Savings!
Have a consistent sleep schedule
Having a consistent sleep schedule can be beneficial to reduce the effects of a disrupted sleep schedule.
Put away electronic devices at bedtime
Did you know that your electronic devices have blue light that keeps you awake longer? To make sure you have a good night sleep, make sure to tuck those electronic devices away in places where you won’t be able to reach them! A suggestion would be to put your devices in a drawer across the room where you can’t reach it easily.
Relax your body
By relaxing your body before going to sleep, you can reduce the amount of stress you’re experiencing. Reduced stress levels equal a relaxed body. To relax, check out our Bath Salts and Bath Teas to get that good night soak before bedtime! We have four different bath salt products and four different bath teas to choose from!
One of the bath products we highly recommend is our Lavender Bath Tea as it contains lavender that will help you loosen up your mind and body, reducing those anxious thoughts you might be having at night.
