Don’t get me wrong. Daylight Savings is possibly my favorite holiday all year. It means that spring will come! It will come won’t it? This year, I have really tried to embrace the opinion of people who don’t see it my way. Some people love the dark coziness of the winter months. Not me. At 4:30 I see the sun go down and my body mindlessly climbs the stairs in search of pajamas. I’ve embraced it to the best of my ability but now I am ready for that extra hour of daylight at the end of the day.
But it comes at a price. We all must brace ourselves for children (and adults!) to experience days of adjustment. Even this seemingly small tweak to our sleep schedule can wreak havoc on emotions, mood, behavior, and focus.
Desperately Seeking Sleep
“In the wake of Daylight Savings Time, the average person loses close to 3 hours of sleep in the week following.”
Fascinating Ways Daylight Saving Time Impacts Our School System, Anthony Boldin
Children are arguably more sensitive to sleep deprivation and disruption than adults. I plan to use coffee as my strategy to survive the next week but, according to my pediatrician, it is “frowned upon” to use this technique with children. Overtired children behave differently than overtired adults. Rarely do I become “wired” and resist sleep when I am behind on sleep.
You see what’s about to happen, right? You’re going to be tired (don’t forget…this is happening to you, too) and they are going to be difficult. Unfocused, whiny, emotional, picky, headstrong.
A Little Planning May Help
- You may be able to avoid some of the more unpleasant side effects from DST by adjusting your children’s bedtime by a few minutes each night before the change. Even 10 or 15 minutes each night can help to ease the transition and reduce the shock to their sleep cycle.
- Invest in BLACKOUT shades. By adding some artificial control to the circadian clock, you can help send natural chemical signals (melatonin) to your child’s brain that it is time for sleeping and time for waking up. Read more about the circadian clock and circadian rhythm.
- Do not vary your bedtime routines during this time. These well-established routines are powerful indicators to childrens’ brains that it is time for sleep.
- Do not add extra activities to the schedule for the following week. By keeping things simple and predictable for several days, you can remain patient and flexible while everyone adjusts.
This, Too, Shall Pass
We all do it twice a year and we all survive. With a little empathy for those who are extra sensitive to sleep disruption and a little parental planning, it can be a relatively uneventful experience.
It’s not like it’s the full moon or anything!
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