SPRING FORWARD - 31 MARCH

It's that time of year again. This weekend it's time to spring forward an hour and say hello to brighter mornings. Fewer grey mornings and more daylight - good news indeed.

However, until your body clock adjusts to the shift, the cost of all this brightness and breeziness in the morning is an hour less in bed.  Boo!

Here are five suggestions for ways to make the transition to British Summer Time pain-free and sleep-friendly...    

1. Time shift your evening

Claim your hour of lost sleep back by stepping your nightly routine forward a little in the run up to the night the clocks alter.  Whatever your evening routine is, stick to it if you can as our bodies respond well to a regular wind down pattern.  But try to shuffle everything forward even half an hour over this week to help you avoid feeling like your sleep has been short changed come Monday morning.  If you can, get to bed a little earlier for a few nights in the run up, do also make sure you eat earlier in the evening so you avoid going to bed on a full stomach - never a good idea.    

2. Zone out before bed

Not feeling sleepy? Then don't sit and worry about it, instead relish the chance for some well earned me time at the end of the day. Create a new timezone for yourself - 'getting ready for bed' time.  Put some time aside to do whatever relaxes you best - be that some gentle yoga, writing your thoughts down from the day, listening to some music, or (our favourite of course) a soak in a deep, warm scented bath. Our brains don't have an on/off switch so this zone out time is a really important transition moment to help us slow down mentally before tuning out for the night. Once you get in to a routine of spending some peace and quiet time to yourself each evening, we guarantee you'll start to relish it and before long it will be your favourite part of the day. 

3. Read a book not a tablet

If night time is your chance to get lost in a novel then we recommend going old school and sticking to paper rather than a tablet. Screens emit blue light and that acts as a trigger to tell the brain it should be awake.  For the same reason, put down those laptops and smart phones at least two hours before you head to bed. Better to have a low bedside light and paperback - or even better, switch the lights off and put some gentle music on.  We bet you'll be snoozing in no time.  

4. Blackout your bedroom

Remember that the sun is going to be up earlier and earlier from now. Daylight is an alarm call for the brain so, unless you want it waking you at the crack of dawn now's the time to wear sleep masks or invest in some decent blackout blinds. Even better, double up your window dressing - blinds plus curtains mean light won't creep in round the edges.    

Ok, so it's Monday morning, the alarm has gone off an hour before you're ready and all you want to do is to stay in bed just a little bit longer.  We get it, but we promise you - the best thing you can do is get exposure to the morning light. It is the quickest way to help your body adjust to the new time setting.  After a few days you'll be back in sync and wondering what all the fuss was about.  

Sleep beautifully

Love from the team at Kiss the Moon xx