The clocks spring forward this weekend, marking the start of British Summertime. While this brings many positives like better weather and longer daylight hours, there’s also a downside – we lose an hour of precious sleep. Some may wonder if one hour really makes a difference, but it does. It can be surprisingly challenging, and waking up on Monday morning might be even harder than usual.

With Summertime daylight saving, when we move our clocks forward, it disrupts our circadian rhythm, throwing our internal body clocks out of sync with our normal day/night cycle. How well we adapt to this change depends on various factors. Here are some frequently asked questions about adjusting to the clocks going forward:

How long does it take to adjust to losing an hour’s sleep?

Typically, within a day, most people should feel fine as our bodies are generally good at adjusting to one-hour changes. However, some may feel an impact, especially if they already don’t get enough sleep.

If I sleep less, will I feel worse the following morning?

If you have a healthy sleep pattern and go to bed slightly earlier the night before the clock change, you’ll likely still wake up feeling refreshed. However, if you’re already not getting enough sleep, you might experience irritability, moodiness, lack of concentration, fatigue, and daytime sleepiness.

What can I do to prepare for the clock change or reset my body clock?

Gradually move your bedtime earlier by about 10 minutes each day leading up to the clocks going forward. This will make the hour loss on Sunday feel less severe. Additionally, expose yourself to natural or artificial light the following morning to help suppress melatonin levels and reduce sleepiness. Instead of napping, go outside in the afternoon to get fresh air as it helps reset your biological clock.

To enhance your chances of falling asleep and staying asleep, practice good sleep hygiene.

1. Limit alcohol and caffeine intake
2. Engage in exercise (but avoid doing it too close to bedtime),
3. Disconnect from gadgets at least an hour before bed and establish a calming wind-down routine.
4. Create an ideal sleeping environment, ensuring that it’s cool, quiet, dark, and free of clutter.
5. Don’t forget the importance of a comfortable mattress, a supportive pillow, and appropriate bedding.

At BodyMould our memory foam mattresses and toppers can make a big difference to how well you sleep at night. Our high-density memory foam moulds to your body as you sleep, cradling you in every position and providing personalised comfort and support. We offer memory foam mattress and topper options to suit everybody, so come and browse our range to find the best size and style for you.

If you need advice or help our team of mattress experts can help you transform your sleep with the perfect memory foam mattress or topper by guiding you to the right mattress or topper especially for you. We make everything ourselves so there’s nothing we don’t know about sleeping comfort, pressure relief and the right support so do get in touch. Contact us online or call us on 01293 871744 and our friendly team will be happy to help.

Photo by Mpho Mojapelo on Unsplash

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The start of the warm weather and longer days means many of us are looking to plan our summer breaks. But with Covid 19 still not such a distant memory, many of us will be out of practice with travelling abroad, so there are a few things you may need reminding of, particularly when it comes to how holiday travel can impact your sleep.

However far you’re flying this summer, this article has all the information you need to ensure that bad sleep doesn’t ruin your summer getaway.

How travel can disrupt your sleep

While travel brings exciting experiences and memories, it can also bring potential problems when it comes to your sleep.

Travel Fatigue

A common problem for a lot of people is travel fatigue, with symptoms ranging from exhaustion and headaches to sleep loss and general discomfort.

Things that can make travel fatigue more likely to occur are:

• Fear of flying
• Anxiety about the up and coming journey
• Motion sickness
• Travel delays
• Stress surrounding packing or time keeping
• Long days of travel.

Ultimately, anything that puts a strain on your mental and physical robustness can lead to travel fatigue so causing disruptions to your quality of sleep.

Jet Lag

Jet Lag is usually associated specifically with long distance travel. Crossing numerous time zones can impact your circadian rhythm resulting in a misalignment with the local time zone, making it more difficult for you to fall asleep at night. In severe cases, Jet lag can also lead to reduced physical and mental performance, daytime sleepiness and gastrointestinal problems.

While jet lag tends to last for a few days, it can persist for up to a few weeks and is usually more severe when travelling from West to East.

How to sleep better when you travel

These sleep problems can be reduced or avoided altogether and improve your travel experience plus protect your sleep health when travelling abroad.

1. Give yourself plenty of time in the airport, keep children on a consistent sleep schedule, and plan your travel effectively.
2. Avoid drinking alcohol on your flight, and stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water both before and during your journey.
3. If you’re travelling overnight, try and get some sleep on the plane. When you arrive at your destination, you should set your watch and other devices to that location’s time zone. So, for example, if you land at 11 pm, you should try and get some sleep until the next morning, even if you don’t feel tired.
4. To help you sleep, keep your bedroom cool and dark. Avoid using blue light screens before going to bed, and instead try to wind down by reading, meditating, having a bath or stretching. In addition avoid caffeine and alcohol, as this can make it more difficult to shut down your mind.

Really thinking about your sleep and taking positive steps towards sleeping well prior to your holiday will go a long way to helping you feel more rested on holiday and have a more enjoyable trip overall.

Are you ready to improve your sleep?

Let our team of mattress experts help you transform your sleep with the perfect memory foam mattress or topper for you. We make everything ourselves so there’s nothing we don’t know about sleeping comfort, pressure relief and the right support. You contact us online or call us on 01293 871744 and our friendly team will be happy to help.

Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

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