Daylight Savings Time should always stay in effect. We should never end it because it really negatively affects our circadian rhythm! What do I use to deal with the time change and get enough sleep?
First, I want to take you on a journey back to 2018, when I wrote a post about my blue light blocking glasses. You can review it here:
https://kindlingheatlh.blogspot.com/2018/12/product-review-computer-glasses-gamma.html
Quick highlights:
- Helps me sleep even after using screens
- Reduces symptoms that cause pain and keep me awake
- Prevents the bad mood I get from too much screen time
These glasses are still very useful for me, but this week I've noticed how much more I need them after Daylight Savings Time ended. It's dark by 5:30 pm now, and any screen time when it's dark outside strains my eyes even more than in the daylight. These glasses reduce my squinting, tears, headaches, strains, and poor mood caused by screens. I'm not exaggerating. These make that much of a difference for me.
I'd like to highly recommend the Gunnar Brand, although I want to explain why I'm recommending the specific pairs I'll show you. In order for them to work most effectively, the lenses should not be small. They should wrap around your sides, and they should cover a large surface area around your eyes. The point is to block blue light from your eyes, and that won't happen as well if you're using small lenses for the sake of their aesthetics. I have also found that I dislike a thick frame, because I'm always looking at it when I wear them. I notice the glasses the least when the frame is small.
I know many people claim (especially biohacker Dave Asprey) they need the TrueDark glasses, which have a deep red tint to the lenses. While this is probably the healthiest and best choice because it reduces harmful light the most, I'm not a fan of making my vision red. Why look at a screen at all if I'm just going to see red? If I want to read e-books in bed I think they'd be ideal. For anything else, I feel like Gunnar gets it right: the amber tint is enough to relieve symptoms, without affecting the color we see on the screen much.
Style I prefer:
Good sale price:
My next tip: sleeping on a new schedule. Sleep couldn't be more important, and I prioritize it above all else in my life. Without quality sleep I simply cannot do anything with my days.
Training your body to change a sleep schedule is extremely difficult, and I'd like to say it's an inhumane practice to make us do this 2x per year. Did you know that the time change in the fall has been linked to higher risks of heart attacks, traffic accidents, and other cardiovascular events?
Personally, I sleep so poorly that I don't have a good solid sleep time. I tend to fall asleep around midnight and wake up around 8. Now I'm falling asleep around 11 and waking up around 7. I get tired at different times in the evening, and it's almost impossible for me to fall asleep when I'm not so tired that my eyes are crossing. Even if I do fall asleep, I'm likely to wake up again.
If I break any of these habits, odds are I won't sleep that night:
- Caffeine after 2 pm
- Exercise too late in the evening, and not enough in the day time
- Doing something stimulating after 9 pm, such as a video game or listening to music
- Eating dinner after 7:30/8 pm
- Not taking my supplements 20 minutes before I want to be sleeping
So let me talk about supplements I use in the evening. I am not able to link you to some that I rely on, because some are from my Naturopathic Doctor and others are from my Acupuncturist. I have, however, found good alternatives when I can't buy from them. I'll link you to those, because they do help me:
Organic India Holy Basil. This is a cortisol suppressant that is effective at lowering my body's reaction to stress. It tends to make me lose interest in whatever is stimulating me, helping me to switch gears into a relaxed state:
Now 3-in-1 Sleep Regimen. I need melatonin, but you may not. This could be wrong for you. I am someone who really cannot fall asleep without taking melatonin (and before you say it's because my body is reliant on it, you should know I had these problems years before I started to use it. It makes it possible for me to sleep.) I need to take 3-4 of these a night, which is 9-12 mg of melatonin. If I take less it has zero effect on me. I always start with 3, and if it's not working then I take a 4th. This also has 5-HTP (promotes melatonin production and reduces anxiety) and L-Theanine (promotes muscle relaxation and reduces body's reaction to anxiety.)
Now Magnesium Citrate Softgels. This certainly does help me sleep better once I fall asleep, but it doesn't put me to sleep. This is a blend with magnesium citrate, malate, and glycinate. They all absorb differently because each type binds to different receptors and is used differently in the body. Citrate is best for calming the nerves and softening the bowel. Malate creates ATP energy in the muscles, which can reduce stiffness and soreness in the muscles. Glycinate builds up levels in your body well, unlike citrate, but it has a similar effect at citrate in that it calms the nervous system.
BUT... if you're someone who doesn't get enough minerals and electrolytes during the day time, you will probably find this formula more helpful than the magnesium softgels above. Your body needs all the minerals!
I've used a lot of herbs too, such as valerian with hops and passionflower. The trouble is, I use the one from my Naturopathic Doctor. I also don't need them as much as I need these. I take the herbs too when nothing else is helping and I can't fall asleep. Even if I don't fully sleep, I can at least keep my body so relaxed that I'm getting some level of rest.
This product is different from what I take, but I have used it with good results. Skullcap can work magic for my nerves. I trust Oregon Wild Harvest, and I don't trust many supplement brands with herbs. If the herbs are not organic or wild harvested then I assume they're going to contain concentrated levels of pesticides.
There are a few other things that help me to relax and prepare my body for sleep:
Magnesium Chloride bath. Not Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate.) The reason is because espom salts don't absorb well enough for me to notice that I feel more relaxed. They do help my muscles if they're sore, but they don't relax me as well as magnesium chloride. Our bodies have an easier time absorbing the chloride form. Yes, it's more expensive, but it's worth paying for what actually works. Why pay less for something that doesn't work well enough?
Acupressure Mat. Read my 2015 blog post about my mat here. I gave that one to my husband, and then bought a new one for myself. But I have to be honest and say I don't love the new one I bought for myself. The spikes are not as long or as sharp, and it doesn't help as much. It has magnets built into the spikes, which is not entirely a gimmick, but isn't worth it if the spikes don't work well. I'd like to buy a better one someday. Unfortunately the brand I bought first is no longer in business, so I cannot link to it. I'll link you to the one I'll probably buy next. It's affordable, has a foam core (the coconut fiber core ones don't have the right kind of support), it's cotton (no polyester), and the reviews show me that it's probably effective.
(Don't get the full length version. You actually don't want to have the mat under your upper back at the same time as your mid to lower back. One of my acupuncturists explained to me that you don't want to draw the qi to your kidneys when you're working on other points. It can mess you up. All I do is put the mat under my upper back and use the neck the pillow. It's very effective for me.)
And finally... a good silk sleep mask by Alaska Bear. Any light at all disrupts my sleep, and it's surprising how much of a difference this mask makes for me. I choose silk because it doesn't cause my skin to break out, it's super breathable, and it's gentle on my skin. I've tried other styles, but I prefer this one because the two straps help keep the mask flat against my face so less light gets in.
Tell me: What habits help you survive the time change?
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