The Definitive Guide for Adjusting to Daylight Savings
Let’s start with the good news: You’re gaining another hour this weekend, so live it up. Now for the bad news: It’s about to get super dark. Every night. For the rest of the winter. We’re here for you. Here are seven ways to make setting the clocks back a bit more bearable.
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Change Your Bedtime Gradually
If staying awake an extra hour feels like an impossible task, try going to bed 15 minutes later every day for four days prior to the time change. Baby steps.
Reset Your Timers
Setting your clocks an hour back at 2 a.m. on November 6 is a no-brainer, but don’t forget to switch the timers on your heater, lights and most importantly, your coffeemaker.
Set an Extra Alarm
With your schedule all out of whack, it’s time to pull out the big guns so you won’t oversleep: Set a phone alarm app like the Wake Alarm Clock, which lets you gradually rise and shine to music.
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Keep Your Eyes on the Road
It’s now going to be pitch black on your drive home from work (sorry), so make sure to put on those headlights and keep your eyes peeled for deer and other critters. Yep, that means no redoing your lipstick in the carpool lane.
Look on the Bright Side
Sure, it’s dark at 4 p.m. now, but think about all the fun indoor stuff you can do! You can finally make make indoor s’mores!
Eat Dinner Earlier
You might feel hungry before your usual meal times this week, but that's a great excuse to get your schedule back on track—make dinner earlier and allow yourself some extra time to unwind before bed.
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Spend More Time Outside
This whole “it’s dark all the time” thing can get a little depressing, so spend every second outside that you can (especially in the sun) to banish the winter blues. Hey, we think we see some leaves that need raking.