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Spring Forward, Stay Sane: A College Student’s Guide to Embracing Daylight Savings

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Brown chapter.

This Sunday, we will all be losing an hour of sleep, but also gaining an hour of sunlight. Whether you’re thrilled about brighter evenings or have already begun to mourn your disrupted sleep schedule, daylight savings is here to stay (at least for now). Instead of groaning about the time change, here’s how you can make the most of it:

1. Get Outside

Longer days mean more opportunities to soak up the sun. Whether it’s a post-class walk, an outdoor study session, or just sitting on the Main Green pretending to be productive, natural light helps regulate your circadian rhythm and improves mood. 

2. Optimize Your Mornings

If the snooze button is your best friend, daylight savings might feel like a personal attack. Combat grogginess with a solid morning routine – identify which actions raise your energy and prepare you for a productive and fulfilling day, and incorporate them into your mornings!

3. Use the Extra Light Wisely

Brighter evenings can make it tempting to push work later into the night. Set a cutoff time for studying so you’re not stuck cramming at midnight just because it “still feels early.” A well-lit library is great, but so is sleep.

4. Blame Daylight Savings for Everything

Running late? Forgot a deadline? Sent a text to the wrong person? Just blame it on daylight savings. No one really understands why we still do it, so you might as well make it your scapegoat for the week.

Daylight savings may steal an hour, but with a little planning, you can make it work for you. Embrace the longer days, get some fresh air, and shake off the winter blues. After all, spring is officially on its way!

Diva Bhatia is a writer at Brown's Her Campus chapter from Bahrain and India. She writes on lifestyle and wellness. Diva is currently a freshman at Brown University, concentrating in Public Health and Biology. She is president of SPAid at Brown, a volunteer at Rhode Island Hospital, a project lead for the Health Fluency Project, and a copyeditor for the Brown Daily Herald! In her free time, Diva enjoys playing piano, learning new languages, and discovering new music to add to her ever-growing playlist.