Editorial

Ideas for dealing with daylight disruption

Friday, March 6, 2015

We've shared our opinion about Daylight Saving Time many times (reminder: we don't like it) but it's likely to be to be a semi-annual irritation for the foreseeable future.

As we "spring forward" Sunday morning, we will not only lose an hour of sleep, we'll find that our circadian rhythm -- biological clock -- will be disrupted.

We'll all get a free case of jet lag as 7 a.m. suddenly becomes 8 a.m., and the sunlit mornings we've been enjoying will suddenly become dark, making it even harder to adjust.

Yes, we will have longer afternoons to enjoy outdoor activities, but if we stay up an hour later as a result, we'll be that much more tired and it will take that much longer to adjust.

Sleep experts recommend you continue to go to bed at your regular time, according to the clock. You may have trouble falling asleep because of that circadian clock problem.

Drag yourself out of bed at your regular time as well; you'll get used to the change more quickly.

Yes, there will be more sunlight later in the day, but stay out of it for the first few evenings to give your inner clock time to adjust.

Instead, get as much sunlight as soon as possible after awakening for the same reason.

A short nap might help, but not close to bed time.

Make sure your sleeping quarters are dark, cool, comfortable and quite.

Relax in a hot bath or listening to soothing music before going to bed, but avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol for several hours before bedtime, because they can disrupt sleep.


We've noticed advertisements for smoke alarms with batteries that last for 10 years, but Daylight Saving Time is still a good time to remember to change the batteries in yours if they're the conventional type.

The common 9-volt batteries can still carry a lot of energy, however, so make sure they don't short out when you dispose of them.

Don't throw them away in the trash, but dispose of them properly, at places like Red Willow County's Household Hazardous Waste Facility, and, cover the terminals with electrical tape to make sure they are safe.

Or, transfer them to another less critical electronic device such as a child's toy to deplete the energy before they are disposed of.

More tips on safe use of 9-volt batteries are available here: http://bit.ly/1G6oZVw

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