The change to summer time will take place on Sunday, 28 March, 2021 at 2 am. At this point, 60 minutes will have to be added to the standard time. It will then be 3 am. But to face this change of time, which involves having one less hour of sleep, it is necessary to follow some advice!
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Daylight savings time turns “waking up at 4am in a fit of mortal dread” into the perfectly acceptable “waking up at 5am to commune with sunrise”
— Kat Dennings (@OfficialKat) March 20, 2021
Adapt your schedules
While the time change means we'll get longer and sunnier days, it doesn't mean you have to go to bed later. Starting Saturday evening, the day before the time change, you should go to bed at a decent time, so as not to completely screw up your sleep patterns once Monday morning comes around the corner. With the same amount of sleep that you usually get, you will accumulate less fatigue.
Avoid screens
On the days following the switch to summer time, avoid spending too much time in front of the screens as you get closer to bedtime. Light emissions from tablets, computers or phones tends to delay the onset of slumber, because they disrupt the secretion of melatonin, the sleep hormone.
So take time to read (on natural paper, no backlit e-readers) or have a good time with your family, basking together in the sunlight of dusk, which is an excellent life synchronizer allowing you to fall asleep better at night. Redder, warmer light is an excellent signal for your circadian rhythms.
Dine lightly
To avoid further disrupting your sleep, focus on light meals in the evening. This will make your digestion even easier and once bedtime arrives it will no keep you awake or affect the quality of your sleep.
Give yourself some time to rest, and eliminate stress
If, in the end, you still feel tired in the days and weeks following the time change, give yourself more some more resting time. Go to bed earlier on weekdays and indulge in some restorative naps during your weekly rest.
Following the switch, sleep experts estimate that it takes about twenty days to fully adapt your sleep-wake rhythm. Even though the change can disrupt your biological clock, know that the human body is a marvel of biological engineering. It is quite capable of absorbing this change in living habits after a little while. So put some perspective into it, take it in stride, make time for yourself by reserving moments of relaxation, regular sports sessions, and why not a few moments of yoga or meditation.
