Avoid time- change jet lag

Setting the clock ahead for daylight saving time disrupts our ‘body clock’ enough to increase the risk of heart attack and traffic accidents by as much as 25%! Luckily, these tips help you ‘spring ahead’ safely

Tweak your bedtime

“Daylight saving time [DST] throws off our internal clock in a way that’s similar to what we experience when we travel to another time zone,” says Nicole Moshfegh, Psy.d, clinical psychologist and author of The Book of Sleep. This prevents the brain from accurately gauging fatigue throughout the day. The simple Rx: Starting on Wednesday, March 4, before the time change, go to bed 15 minutes earlier each night (so you’ll go to bed an hour earlier by Saturday). The shift helps the brain get used to the change before it happens.

Greet the sun

Getting a pop of bright light within an hour of waking up on Saturday morning (before the time change) helps readjust the body’s internal clock to quash 70% of DST symptoms, according to Rush University Medical Center research. The intriguing reason: “Our internal body clock uses cues from the environment— especially sunlight—to reset daily,” explains Moshfegh. Indeed, just 15 to 30 minutes of early morning sun exposure shuts down the brain’s production of the sleepiness hormone melatonin and resets your 24-hour wake-sleep schedule. As a result, you’ll fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly so you can take DST in stride.

Eat a light dinner

Feasting on a heavy dinner just before bed might make you feel sleepy, but studies suggest that eating more than 500 calories at dinner prevents the body from falling into the deep, restful sleep that will help you sidestep DST symptoms. Instead, dig into a light meal, like chicken and rice soup, which contains a perfect balance of sleep-inducing tryptophan and high-glycemic grains to promote restorative sleep.