Spring into Good Sleeping Habits

It’s that time of year: Daylight Savings Time is here and many are still feeling the hour we lost.

And while most love the extra hours of sunlight, the transition from more dark days to longer days can also change our quality of sleep and present a challenge to our healthy sleep efforts.

Below are some top sleep tips to help you spring into a healthy sleep routine.

The sun helps to keep our internal body clocks in sync. This results in the optimal functioning of our brain, heart, lungs, and digestive and immune systems. Our circadian rhythm is critical for our bodies to carry out essential functions and processes.

When we spring forward the time change can work against our biology. To reset our biological clock and adjust quickly to the time change, we can:

• Try to sleep more at night during the 2-3 days prior to the time change.
• Wake up 15 minutes earlier on weekend mornings.
• Cut out afternoon naps and not sleep past 9:30 a.m. on weekend mornings.
• Use that extra light in the early evening to get active: Go for a long walk or do some vigorous exercise.

Allergies and hay fever could be the reason you’re not getting that deep, restorative phase of sleep during spring. Many people who suffer from nasal allergies often struggle with their sleep quality due to allergy symptoms. Even if you don't have allergies, your partner’s might – it’s often reported that a spouse’s sneezing and sniffling disturbs their bedmate’s sleep.

How to improve it:

• Invest in anti-allergy bedding. Anti-allergy bedding helps to stop dust, pollen, and dirt from getting into your mattress, because it uses technologically-advanced fabrics.
• Keep your pets out of your bed. Unfortunately, dogs and cats can be big allergy offenders. Even if you’re not allergic to your pet’s dander, they often bring pollen, dust mites, and mold into your room. Read How Does Sleeping With Your Pets Affect Your Sleep?
• Consider adding a HEPA filter to your bedroom. These high-efficiency particulate arrestance filters remove allergens in the air. You can run the filter during the day with your bedroom door closed to ensure you’re breathing clean air at night.

With warm weather well on its way, now is the time to take your exercise routine outside.

Staying active does wonders for your health and can help you get a healthy night of quality seep! Enjoy a quick walk outside or move around during daylight hours, aim to do it in the morning or for 20-30 minutes during your lunch break.

Snoring can lead to an irritated, croaky throat in the AM, waking up at night frequently, feelings of fatigue the next day, and headaches.

Often a snorer will wake themselves up and not even realize it. This happens an average of 27 times per night (Source: Mayo Clinic), causing what we call micro-awakenings. Micro-awakenings prevent our ability to get into deep and REM sleep -- the very important physically and mentally restorative stages of rest.

ZQuiet is here to help: Shop our snoring solutions.

Tip #5: Are you sleeping with a snorer?

What if you lost 40+ minutes of sleep every night? Do you feel like you’re functioning in what is a Daylight Savings Hell?

One Mayo Clinic study showed that the person sleeping next to a snorer loses an average of one hour of quality sleep per night! In fact, in an average relationship, a snorer wakes their partner an average of 21 times per night which adds up to around two years of sleep.

When you solve snoring, you create the exact opposite of Daylight Savings Hell. Imagine getting an extra hour of sleep each night without spending more time in bed? Get the rest you need (and deserve): Shop our earplugs for sleeping.