We gained an extra hour my ass…
Yea, technically we gained an hour, but I didn’t know I signed up for a special package deal that was sealed by sleeping in that morning. My combo deal came with:
– insomnia
– lack of motivation
– constant tiredness
– seasonal depression
Most of us normally wake up around 9 or 10 am leaving roughly 10 hours of daylight to function. But since things have changed we wake up around 8 am thinking, “Ayyyyeee I have more time to sleep!”, and the wake up at 10 is leaving 7-8 hours of sunlight (which seem to fly by might I add).
Many of us show characteristics of depression and sleeping disorders so, we subconsciously depend on the sun gives light and energy. The end of daylight saving time can result in sleep deprivation/ insomnia, seasonal depression, suffered mental clarity and /or you may go into hibernation mode. According to Mayo Clinic, “Decreased sun exposure has been associated with a drop in serotonin that can lead to SAD (a form of seasonal depression). You’re more likely to experience SAD in the winter when the days are shorter and the nights are longer… Anxiety-related disorders and panic attacks have also been linked with changing seasons and reduced sunlight. Sunlight cues special areas in the retina, which triggers the release of serotonin.”
3 Tips to Refute the Daylight Ending Time
1. Stay out of the house a few hours after sunset
Go to a basketball game or go to the gym around the time the sun sets. Do something that takes you out of your room and makes you forget about the time or more importantly, the darkness of the sky. For me, getting a job helped. I am in a building where I can kind of see outside, but I’m so busy I’m not focused on it.
2. Avoid naps for a week
As the queen of naps, I know this is hard but taking naps is hindering your sleep schedule. You take a nap around 3 or 4 pm and accidentally fall into a coma because you took a nap the day before which made you go to sleep late. So, you wake up at like 6:30 pm and its dark outside, which results in one of two things:
– you staying up all night with an unproductive mindset because your body feels rested, but your mind still feels restless.
– or you say “f**k it” and go back to sleep
Either way, your body and mind are off balance. So, in the afternoon try to go to a public place around people (loud or quiet, whichever you prefer) and study or be productive and then go to sleep later in the evening.
3. Use the “night mode” on your phone if you are using your phone before bed
Smartphone screens emit a bright blue light that confuses your brain at night because it imitates the brightness of the sun. And according to Business Insider, “This blue light causes the brain to stop producing melatonin, a hormone that gives your body the “time to sleep” cues. Because of this, smartphone light can disrupt your sleep cycle, making it harder to fall and stay asleep”. Hence why the night mode option was created, so use it.
*hopefully these tips help you find the motivation to stay up past 6 pm because clearly homework isn’t doing it.*
Enjoy as much sunlight as you can.