Just a friendly reminder that the clocks turn FORWARD one hour on Saturday night!

An extra hour of SUNLIGHT after dinner?!  Awesome! 👍🏻

Losing an hour of sleep in the morning?!  Not quite so awesome. 😭

If the spring time change rocks your world… you're not alone.  This one used to knock me on my ass for a while.  

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that the light entering your eyes (specifically blue light) informs the master clock in your brain about what time it is.  

Your brain keys into the changing sunlight throughout the day.  Specifically, it uses the amount of blue light (and the color, angle and brightness of the sun) present to determine “What time IS it?”

Once it knows what time it is, your brain sends that message to every cell and organ in your body.  And this is how your cells and organs know what they should be doing throughout the day… since much of your body's processes are timing-dependent.

The impact of light on the brain (and hence, on all the cells, hormones, nervous system, pituitary gland, thyroid, and other organs) is how a ONE HOUR time change can disrupt your circadian rhythm and throw your digestion, sleep, energy, mood, etc. off for a while.  

In essence, we're all going to experience a 1-hour time change and the jet lag that goes along with it.

Now, if you've been waking up with sunrise every day, the time change may not impact much. But if you have a disrupted circadian rhythm, the shift of just one hour can be really hard.

 Here are some tips that may help you out this year 👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾

1️⃣ Shift your bedtime and wake time 15 minutes earlier each day between now and the weekend.

If your usual bedtime is 11 p.m., go to bed at 10:45 tonight, 10:30 on Thursday, etc. If you wake-up at 7am, move it up to 6:45 am tomorrow, and so on.  This will ease you into that earlier wake-up on Sunday morning.

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2️⃣ Wear orange-toned blue blocker glasses after sunset.

The extra hour of light is great for our mood… but it can make falling asleep a bit tougher.  This is where wearing  orange or red-lensed blue blockers can help (use code CHRISTIC for 10% off). These lenses block blue light, which jumpstarts melatonin production and helps you fall asleep easier.  If you haven't tried blue blockers yet, you are MISSING OUT!

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3️⃣ Use temperature to your advantage.

A cold shower or a splash of ice water on your face will wake your body up on Sunday morning. Cold is stimulating, so it's something you'll want to do in the morning.

At night, you'll want to take a warm bath or shower, apply a heating pad to your belly… as the heat will cool your core temp and help you fall asleep easier.

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4️⃣ Shift your breakfast time.

Food timing is a Zeitgeber (secondary circadian cue) that you can leverage during the time change.  Try moving your breakfast timing a bit earlier between now and the time change.  It's best to eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up this week to jumpstart more of your daytime circadian pathways and give your body the clear signal that it's morning time. A solid protein/fat-based breakfast eaten within 30 minutes of waking can also help alleviate some of the stress your body will endure from the time change.  

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5️⃣ Get out for SUNRISE light to reset your circadian clock to the new time.

Getting outside at sunrise with naked eyeballs is THE most important thing you can do to adjust to the time change!!!  Start getting out for sunrise NOW and continue after the time change happens.

Syncing to the sunrise light will literally “reset your clock.”  Just like you would reset your clock after a power outage.

Found this blog post helpful? You'll LOVE my weekly newsletter that comes out every Wednesday with practical and easy-to-implement quantum, circadian and seasonal health tips for women in perimenopause and beyond. You can subscribe HERE.

The time change is the PERFECT time to start your daily sunrise habit!  

You're going to be a bit out of whack anyway because of the clock change… why not leverage this and use it as an opportunity to regulate your circadian rhythm?  

Seeing sunrise is the BEST way to get your body back on track quickly after the time change and minimize the cellular chaos!

And… if you get your sunrise habit started now, you can really leverage ALL the healing power of the medicinal sunlight in later spring and summer! 

My Sunrise Club Challenge is a fan favorite!  It's only $17 and is WAY under-priced for everything it delivers.  You'll get one email a day helping you ease into your sunrise habit… AND a lot of inspiration and motivation and education to help you understand WHY you'd even want to do this in the first place!

Women who have done this challenge have experienced:

• easier time falling and staying asleep

• more energy

• more grounded energy, less anxiety

• the ability to wake up without an alarm clock

• the ability to go from “night owl” to “morning person” with ease

If you don't have a daily sunrise habit yet... The Sunrise Club Challenge will be so helpful for you!