4 News Now Q&A: How can you prepare your mind and body for the end of Daylight Saving Time?

Q: How can you prepare your mind and body for the end of Daylight Saving Time?

Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday morning, and while the fall back adjustment can be a bit smoother than the spring transition, sleep experts say you should still be aware of how it can impact your mental and physical health. 

A: Sleep experts offered two different plans you can follow if you want to make the switch as easy as possible on your mind and body.

Option one is simple but effective: 

If you typically go to bed at 11 p.m. and you usually wake up at 7 a.m., try staying up until 11:30 p.m. on Saturday and sleep until 7 a.m. Sunday. This actually gives your body an extra half hour of sleep, which experts say will help you adjust more quickly and less drastically. Then after Saturday, you can go back to your normal sleep schedule.

Option two is great for early risers:

Go to bed on Saturday at 11 p.m. and wake up at 6 a.m. instead of your regular 7 a.m. time. You may find you are naturally waking up earlier the morning after the time change because of the light. If you do end up waking up with the sun, sleep experts recommend you get out of bed for the day. This will help you feel ready to sleep earlier that night. Go to bed around 10 p.m. and wake at 7 a.m. the next day to get back on schedule.

It is also important to make sure you do not throw yourself off schedule in the days and weeks after the time change.

Doctors urge you to keep an eye on meal times, the amount of time you spend awake in bed and do what you can to wake naturally, instead of using an alarm clock.

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