The clocks are due to be put back one hour on Sunday, October 30, at 2am, meaning we can all look forward to an extra hour in bed.
By turning the clocks back an hour during autumn, this provides people with more sunlight in the morning and lamps will need to go on earlier in the evenings.
The best advice we can give to help your body deal with the change from BST to GMT is to ensure you change all your manual clocks to the new time before you go to sleep. Most devices with internet connection, such as smartphones, computers and other digital devices should automatically update. Do that and you'll be good to go the following morning.
We recommend not over-thinking gaining the hour when the clocks change (as great as it is!). If you usually wake up at 7am, then get up at 7am rather than trying to overcompensate for the change in time.
Another crucial bit of advice is don't hit snooze! Routine is key to good sleep.
As the mornings get lighter, we should assess the steps we can take to ensure we are still getting the amount of sleep we need.
Let’s quickly look at the recommended amount of sleep we should aim for. Adults should aim to get between 7-9 hours’ sleep per night, which allows us to go through several sleep cycles that are essential to our physical and cognitive health. Sleep is essential to every process in the body, affecting our physical and mental functioning the next day.
As we progress through each stage of sleep, our bodies can recuperate both physically and mentally. The later stage of sleep is when we encounter rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is critical for cognitive functions such as memory and learning. It is also common for REM sleep to make up the majority of the second half of our night’s sleep.
Sleep is a process that is greatly affected by how we prepare for it.
It's important that you prepare the bedroom before going to bed to help you recharge for the next day. Poor sleep quality or an ongoing lack of sleep could increase your risk of health issues.
These simple steps to help you prepare for bedtime will help ensure you improve your sleep quality leading to increased energy, motivation and focus:
- reduce/remove sources of light (TV, phones etc.)
- keep it cool - being too hot can disrupt sleep
- open windows to promote ventilation
- a hot bath or shower 1-2hrs before bed could improve sleep as it helps your core body temperature drop
Having a positive morning routine is just as important as getting a good night's sleep.
Are you reaching straight for a caffeine in the mornings? It's common to have a coffee in the mornings to help boost our energy levels before work. But surprisingly - coffee isn't always the answer!
The most natural way to activate your body is to start the day with a morning walk. The natural light signals our brains to get up and get going!
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