A Sleep Specialist's Top Tips For Avoiding Daylight Saving Grogginess

Sure, Valentine's Day and Halloween are fun, but World Sleep Day (March 18) is basically our holiday of choice over here at mbg. We're celebrating with a week full of tips to help you achieve the restorative rest you've been dreaming of. Brew a cup of tea and get cozy, because Sleep Week is officially here.

The sunset will be an hour later today—welcome news for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere growing weary of winter. Spring forward is an exciting time to soak up more sun (and that all-important vitamin D) and get ourselves moving outdoors again. But it's also an adjustment period that can take a temporary hit on our sleep. Here, clinical psychologist and ​​board-certified sleep specialist Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., explains why the time change might throw off your week and how to get back on track quickly.

Breus notes that while an hour of sleep loss might not seem like a lot, it's certainly enough to negatively affect our energy levels and mood. Especially if you had any sleep debt going into this weekend, you'll likely feel groggy and irritable heading into the coming week. "There's no way around it," he tells mbg. "You are losing an hour, so you are likely making a bad situation worse."

This time change can also be an unwelcome surprise for our body's circadian rhythm. This biological clock that sits in the brain's hypothalamus dictates the timing of our sleep-wake cycle (when we feel tired and awake) and other key processes like appetite. To stay on track, it relies on cues from natural sunlight and darkness. While a small change in light-dark timing is no big deal, an hour shift can confuse our internal timekeeper and cause us to feel a little off. Breus equates it to the funny feeling we may get when traveling one time zone away.

Get some sun first thing in the morning: Help your circadian rhythm adjust to the new schedule by exposing yourself to some morning light. Heading out for a walk in the morning will be ideal, but Jamie Zeitzer, Ph.D., an associate professor of sleep medicine at Stanford University, notes that standing in front of a window will also work in a pinch—though the light won't be as bright. Even on cloudy days, the light we get outdoors far surpasses anything we can soak up inside. Keep things dark at night: Always a good sleep hygiene habit, this one's especially important this week. To train your body to adjust to the new time, aim to turn off all bright lights and electronics around sunset. Let the light (or lack of light) outside dictate the light in your space. Stick to a consistent wake-up time: Breus' No. 1 rule for high-quality sleep is super simple: Wake up at the same time every day. While you may feel a little sleepy the next few mornings, getting yourself out of bed at the same time will send a signal to your body and circadian clock to stay on track. Get ahead of the spring pollen: Finally, as we inch closer to spring, Breus notes that seasonal sniffles may start disrupting your sleep. Get ahead of them by doing some deep breathing at night. "I think we've all felt the relief that a deep healing breath can provide as it increases our body's oxygen levels and encourages our bodies to enter a state of restfulness," he says. Here's a simple soothing routine to try tonight.