Daylight Savings Time Ends Tomorrow – The 3 Biggest Sleep Mistakes to Avoid When the Clocks Go Back

Tomorrow the hands of the clocks go back. At two o’clock in the morning, the time will move back one hour, giving us an extra hour of sleep. When we wake up, the morning will be brighter, but the evenings are approaching, which means it will be dark much earlier. However, this is not a bad thing. In fact, lighter mornings help regulate our circadian rhythms, increase our energy levels, and make it easier for us to fall asleep quickly and easily at night.

However, despite these benefits, some of us will inevitably experience sleep disturbances. why Because changing your sleep schedule, even if it’s just one hour, can have a big impact on your sleep quality, duration, and overall well-being.

Here we look at the biggest sleep mistakes to avoid as the clocks turn back to minimize any impact on your energy levels and schedule. We’ll also shed some light on how your sleep will be affected by the time change, as well as offer top tips for adjusting your sleep schedule once DST ends.

3 Sleep Mistakes to Avoid When the Clocks Turn Back

1. Drowsiness during the day

An extra hour in bed when the clocks go back can seem incredibly indulgent, especially if you’re on a tight schedule. However, you may still feel the need nap during the day on Sunday. Whether it’s your normal Sunday routine or you’re feeling a little jet lagged because of the time difference, it can be tempting to take a nap.

A woman with long dark brown hair stretches her arms and smiles after a wonderful Christmas nap

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We strongly recommend avoiding the urge to nap during the day. Getting extra ZZZs during the day can make it harder to fall asleep at night. Moving back an hour will cause us to go to bed earlier than usual, meaning it may take us longer to fall asleep. Getting even more sleep means you won’t feel tired enough when the evening comes.

2. Go to bed later than usual

Similarly, going to bed later in the morning can make it difficult to fall asleep at night. It can be tempting, especially when you like lazy Sunday lie inbut sticking to your routine will help maintain your normal circadian rhythm.

By regulating this rhythm (when you feel naturally energized and sleepy during the day), you’ll help signal your body that it’s time to sleep when night falls. Lying down can disrupt your body’s natural schedule, making the time change seem more abrupt than it really is.

Even if it’s part of your normal routine, staying awake with your phone in bed can negatively affect your sleep quality and your ability to fall asleep. Although research on the effects of blue light and screens in sleep modeit’s true that anything too stimulating before bed can affect your sleep.

Instead, we recommend replacing your phone or laptop with a book. Listening to music and reading has been proven to help reduce stress and relax your brain by helping you switch off before bed.

How good it is to sleep after the hands of the clock have turned back

Some people won’t even notice the clock change, but for others it may trigger an existing one insomnia. Here are our top tips for getting a good night’s sleep on Sunday after the clocks change.

1. Get enough sunlight on Sunday

A woman is sitting outside, drinking morning coffee in the sun

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One of the benefits of the clocks we mentioned earlier is the availability of natural daylight in the morning. Not only can light boosts your energy a day, but it can help you sleep at night.

Try going for a walk early in the morning or spend at least an hour outdoors during the day. When night falls, your body will naturally start producing melatonin – the sleep hormone – and you will be able to relax and be well rested before the next week.

2. Follow a consistent bedtime routine

Creating a regular bedtime routine that works for you and is consistent will help your body recognize when it’s time to rest. Dimming the lights, playing soothing music, and reading a book are all great ways to while away the 30 minutes before falling asleep.

Even if you don’t feel tired when you start night routinethis association should make you feel drowsy, allowing you to fall into deep sleep more quickly.

3. Take a warm bath or shower before going to bed

Taking a warm bath or shower before bed can be the perfect way to fall into a restful and deep sleep. In addition to being relaxing, going from a warm bathroom to a cooler bedroom can cause your body temperature to drop.

This is the key signal to our body that it is time to go to sleep. You can also add essential oils to your bath, such as lavender they are proven to benefit our sleep.

A woman with dark curly hair wearing floral pajamas while reading in bed as part of her nighttime routine

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4. Observe sleep hygiene

Sleep hygiene refers to the habits you form before bed. They can both positively and negatively affect our sleep. For example, poor sleep hygiene would include eating sugary snacks before bed, a cluttered bedroom, and caffeine consumption in the afternoon.

Practice good sleep hygiene by making sure your bedroom is calm and clean, use your bedroom only for sleep (not work), and eat three balanced meals a day.

We also recommend buying a mattress that suits your body and sleep needs, and you’ll find all our top recommendations in our guide this year best mattresses for all sleepers. AND good pillow can also instantly change the quality of your sleep, so don’t underestimate the impact of the new.

How to fix your sleep schedule if you’ve gone off course

Don’t panic if turning the clocks back has disrupted your usual schedule. There are ways adjust your sleep schedule quickly. The easiest way is to shift the time of sleep and awakening by 20 minutes.

For example, if you want to wake up an hour earlier, you should start shifting your sleep schedule 3 days before the early morning you expect. Also, don’t forget to set your alarm 20 minutes earlier each day. For example:

Night 1: Go to bed at 22.40

Night 2: bedtime at 10.20 p.m

Night 3: Before going to bed at 10 pm