{"id":35482,"date":"2014-03-05T18:27:07","date_gmt":"2014-03-05T18:27:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.massagebook.com\/marketing\/?p=87"},"modified":"2016-03-30T09:11:11","modified_gmt":"2016-03-30T14:11:11","slug":"dont-let-daylight-savings-take-away-your-sleep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/massagebook.com\/massage-therapy\/dont-let-daylight-savings-take-away-your-sleep\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t let Daylight Savings take away your sleep!"},"content":{"rendered":"

March is fun for a few reasons. Exciting basketball, green beer and a confused body clock.<\/p>\n

Wait, that\u2019s not fun.<\/p>\n

March is supposed to be when we shake off the winter doldrums and see the light at the end of the tunnel in the form of daffodils and light sweater-weather.<\/p>\n

Yet, Daylight Savings Time robs us of a precious hour of rest we won\u2019t see it again \u2018til fall, and our sleep\u00a0 cycles get all out-of-whack.<\/p>\n

But sleep issues aren\u2019t just a seasonal problem. It\u2019s estimated that more than 60 million Americans suffer from short-term (a few days or weeks) or long-term (more than a month) insomnia.\u00a0Most of the time chronic insomnia is a side effect of some other problem.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all heard the standard tips about avoiding caffeine, using room-darkening shades, and going to bed at the same time every night.<\/p>\n

Here are a few other ideas that you may not have thought about:<\/p>\n

Nap the right way<\/b><\/p>\n

Taking a nap during the day can be great for productivity and fabulous for health, but you\u2019ve got to do it right. Aim to nap for 20 to 25 minutes; any longer than that and you\u2019ll feel groggy when you wake up and you risk not being able to fall asleep when it\u2019s bedtime. (If you really want to get good at power naps, there\u2019s a whole kit<\/a> to help you get it right.)<\/p>\n

Be mindful of the temperature.<\/b><\/p>\n

Take a warm (not hot) shower or bath about an hour before bedtime, and keep your room cool at night. The drop in body temperature signals your body to calm so you\u2019ll fall asleep faster and sleep more deeply.<\/p>\n

Turn off the electronics.<\/b><\/p>\n

OK, so you\u2019ve heard this one. But it\u2019s the most important and the least followed<\/em> piece of advice.<\/p>\n

Get an old-fashioned alarm clock, so you don\u2019t need to use your phone. Turn your phone, iPad, Kindle, or whatever you\u2019ve got off, and put the devices in another room. Yes, a completely different room.<\/p>\n

You may think a phone on silent, hanging out on your nightstand, won\u2019t disturb your rest, but it will. Just knowing it\u2019s there puts your body on alert. It\u2019s far too tempting to reach over and “just check a few emails” if you do wake up in the middle of the night. Save yourself. Break this habit.<\/p>\n

Get a massage<\/b><\/p>\n

Yup. Massage can help with sleep issues. There have been several studies<\/a> demonstrating the efficacy of massage in people with sleep problems, especially when treating secondary issues that may impair sleep, like back pain, pregnancy and migraines.<\/p>\n

And for a little extra help getting some sleep, here are some great links:<\/span><\/p>\n