Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday, March 12
It’s that time again. (Sorry my friend, Bob Jass Jr.)
This Sunday, March 12, 2017, will be the start of Daylight Saving Time (DST).
When local standard time is about to tick to 2 a.m. on Sunday, turn your clock ahead one hour to 3 a.m. – to change to Daylight Saving Time instead. (Or . . . like Bob . . . leave your clocks alone and do the one hour math in your head whenever you check the time.)
Sunrise and sunset will be about one hour later than the day before, and there will be more light in the evening.
This time change is also a great reminder to change the batteries in smoke detectors.
When’s the next time change – when do we fall back to standard time? Sunday, November 5, 2017.
Tips on how to control that lost-hour lag
Even though we turn our clocks ahead an hour every spring, the entire process still seems to catch our minds and bodies by surprise. Folks often have that lost-hour lag for several days following the time change.
Following are a few tips to help control that slogging sloth feeling, courtesy of CBS News:
+ Watch what you put into your piehole in the hours right before Saturday night’s bedtime. WebMD at www.webmd.com and BetterSleep.org both suggest eating a light and simple dinner – and try to eat it a little bit later each day in advance of the time change. Also, avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol for at least four hours before bed.
+ If you regularly exercise, you’ve already got a leg-up in the time transition. If not, get moving! Just 30 minutes of light activity every day (even just walking) will make a difference.
+ Make relaxation a priority as you prep to go to sleep. Dr. Daniel Lewin suggests dimming lights in whatever room you’ll be in before bed for 30 minutes-to-an-hour. If you wind down in your bedroom, avoid having the television or other electronics on. And, Dr. Richard Shane says your body temperature plays a big role in that relaxation. He suggests taking a nice, hot bath or shower before you hit the hay.
+ Start prep early. Go to bed 10- to 15-minutes earlier every other night in the lead-up to Daylight Saving. But make sure you’re being consistent with the amount of shuteye you get, sleeping no fewer than seven hours a night. If you’re a devout napper, make sure you only do so in the afternoon – and for no more than 30 minutes.