Tips to Help the Helpless
Anyone who knows me well knows there is inadvertent humor (if not irony) in my being asked to compile tips on adjusting to Daylight Saving Time. I’ve always considered Daylight Saving Time the longest four-letter word known to humankind, and I’m one of those lucky souls who struggle for weeks (if not longer) with the time change.
(Go ahead. Snicker. We aren’t all as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as you are. And some of us detest coffee. Not that it would affect us, anyway.)
So, what are some ways to make light of the change in daylight?
Exercise.
You don’t need to run a marathon or walk ten miles to work, uphill both ways, carrying a forty-pound rucksack. But a brisk walk could do wonders for your serotonin levels.
Go to the light.
If you take your brisk walk in the still-brisk outdoors, you might gain some exposure to bright natural light. An hour or two of natural light is helpful in adjusting to the time change.
Get a light.
Many people use light boxes to transition into DST or to stave off Seasonal Affective Disorder. Light boxes use fluorescent bulbs to emit a bright white light, far more illuminating than the average home (or office) could supply.
There’s an app (or two) for that.
Alarmy (Sleep If U Can) is dubbed “The World’s Most Annoying Alarm.” To turn off Alarmy, you have to go to spot you’ve “registered” (the kitchen, perhaps), and take a photograph matching the one you’ve registered. There’s no off-switch. Blue Sleep Therapy uses soft blue light to help reset the body’s Circadian rhythms. The blue illumination waxes and wanes (you set the time period) before dimming and finally powering down. This might help you power down, to get more sleep and be better able to face DST.
If none of this helps, you might distract yourself from your grogginess by creatively cursing Benjamin Franklin for proposing DST in the first place, 230 years ago. You’ll still be tired, but you might give yourself a giggle or two.
Written by: Amy L Charles is the editorial director for West Michigan Woman. There are times when she needs to get a light.
Photo courtesey of: FreeDigitalPhotos.net (Feelart)
