Get Through Each Season With These Helpful Sleep Tips

With every change of seasons comes a change in the way we go about our daily lives, especially when it comes to getting a good night's rest. From daylight savings time switches to seasonal allergies and other health concerns to deal with, it is no small surprise that each and every one of us ends up learning how to adjust our daily routines and pick up specific habits to help us get through any particular season a little bit easier.

One of the biggest aspects of our health that often ends up becoming negatively impacted when it comes to a change in the seasons, is the quantity as well as the quality of the sleep we get each and every night. The good news is that there are more than a few resources out there that are dedicated to providing very helpful tips and tricks to help anyone navigate any new seasonal change. In particular, I recently came across an article that was posted by She Knows, and it offers up some excellent advice on how to roll with the seasons so that sleep quality is impacted as little as possible. Here is what I learned from the article. 

One of the more common sleep issues that many people end up inevitably facing at some point each and every year is the effect of allergies on their bodies. Allergies are already bad enough in the waking hours, but they can also completely wreak havoc on the immune system as a person sleeps as well. This is why many doctors and other healthcare providers recommend that their patients use a nasal rinse or neti pot on a daily basis, in order to keep the sinuses clear while sleeping.

As for daylight savings time, and the routine of moving the clock forward or back, it is best to get your body prepared for these changes in the week before they officially take place. Adjust your wake up time either fifteen minutes earlier or later, depending on the timeof year, over the course of the week leading up to the switch, so your body has more time to adjust and prepare to the change. 

Finally, during the summer, when the daylight hours are long, be sure to limit the amount of natural daylight you receive the closer it gets to bedtime. Daylight can interfere with the sleep-wake cycle of your body, so be sure to even out the amount you get during the later hours of the day.

Used under Creative Commons Licensing courtesy of Jereme Rauckman