So we’ve outlined why moving all your daily tasks up and doing them earlier helps the DST segue.
But how do we hack the rest of that daylight savings time issue?
I mean, I can physically go to bed early… but what if I’m still not tired once I lie down?
(When you know you ain’t gonna fall asleep anyway, so you just stay dressed and half outta bed.)
But, as always, I’ve got some natural answers that’ll keep ya from running to your Ambien drug dealer.
It’s as simple as the last set of tips, too. See, one thing I’ve found whenever I have to set my own bedtime for a new and earlier sleep routine, is that there’s one non-negotiable, super important element. It’s the thing that decides whether my recalibration is a success or not. And that’s what I do the hour before I turn myself into the sleep meat between my blanket and mattress sandwich bread. See, before I started writing for this site, I was terrible at this. My pre-sleep habits then were as poor as my metaphors are now. But, once I started integrating the following tips I picked up through trial and failure, snoozing sooner became pretty easy.
First?
Supplements
Magnesium citrate and zinc are my biggies. But if you’re having trouble falling asleep, sometimes it’s less about stress and more about a deficiency you specifically have. If you think that might be you, hit up your doc and have a talk. If you know already that you tend to be deficient in something, try a whole food that’s rich in it, or seek a supplement. Magnesium citrate is great because Mg is your natural muscle relaxer that you need for normal physiological function and the citrate aspect puts it in a more bioavailable form so your body can process it. When I take this on the regular, I have zero issue sleeping. Zinc, on the contrary, may not help you fall asleep – but it’s linked with keeping you asleep (especially if you’re one’ve those wake-up-to-pee-every-three-hours types like me). So try these to acquire naptime status and remain there until the alarm goes off.
Sleepytime tea
(Drink it ’til your vision’s as fuzzy as the quality of this photo…)
Okay, I’ll admit it. I experiment on my friends for the sake of science I can show to you guys. And, for every person I’ve administered my favorite teas to, I get the same results. *Insert ZZzzzZZ emoji* The highest ranked teas of the ones I’ve given are Tulsi Holy Basil (rose flavor) and Yogi’s Sleeptytime tea (cinnamon flavor). They’re the McGregor to your overstimulated brain. Done. Lights out. Finished.
Lights Out
But, after that tea punches your lights out, you hafta take advantage by keeping the lights out. (No, literally.) Ever notice how you’re half asleep on the couch, and then you make the mistake of turning on the bathroom light to brush your teeth before bed? And the sleepiness evaporates? The workaround is simple. Have your supplements and tea – but brush your teeth right after. Then, after that, enjoy your last half hour or whatever of pre-bedtime wind-down on the couch, getting drowsy from your herbal remedy, with the lights either low or off. Then, when it’s bedtime, you can just go straight to sleep without breaking with your sleepiness flow.
Snooze tunes
I don’t mean anything with lyrics. And nothing too exciting. But, whether you listen to those binaural beats that tranquilize your brain or old school Enya is irrelevant. Just put on something that’ll get you there, and time it to go off after you’ve achieved sleep status. Need some suggestions? There’s the Marconi Union song that researchers recently showed correlating with rapid nap acquisition. There’s the sounds of falling rain or crickets chirping in the summer. And, of course, there’s always classical music to help you toggle down when the clock says it’s time to.
(Already have a favorite fall asleep playlist? Stick with it then!)
Hopefully these tips help you ease the DST PTSD.
Got any tried and true tips for me? Add them in the comments below!