Shelly’s Friday Favourites – Survive Daylight Savings Time

The switch to Daylight Savings time is upon us again, and as of 2 am Sunday, March 9^th, we’ll be springing forward by 60 minutes. Not all of Canada participates in the Daylight Savings ritual, with Saskatchewan being the main exception as they observe Central Standard Time all year round.

George Vernon Hudson, a New Zealander who proposed setting the clocks ahead to take advantage of summer light, was the inventor of Daylight Saving. It was first put to use in Germany and Austria in 1916, and is now promoted as a way to reduce our electrical light use. There isn’t a lot of evidence that it actually saves on the power bill, but Daylight Saving still stands in Canada and other parts of the world.

You wouldn’t think that one hour would make that much of a difference in the daily lives of people, but Daylight Saving time has linked to a 10% increase in heart attacks, an increase in pedestrian accidents, and can mean that insomniacs have an even harder time falling and staying asleep.

Some people don’t notice the switch all that much, others will flat out tell you ‘It sucks.’ It doesn’t matter which camp you’re in, because it’s coming whether we like it or not. So how do you survive the transition to Daylight Saving time?

Set your clocks ahead a day or two before, so you can gradually get used to the time switch. Go to bed an hour earlier than you would normally to ensure you get enough sleep, and last but not least, take a look in your fridge – you might be surprised to learn that certain foods can help you adjust to Daily Saving time too:

• Cherries – Contain melatonin, a natural sleep hormone
• Bananas – Have magnesium, which calms you down
• Soy Milk – Has tryptophan, an amino acid that helps with sleep
• Chia Seeds – Also contain tryptophan
• Oatmeal – Contains melatonin

If you want to fall asleep faster or you’re worried about adjusting to the time change, here are a few smoothie recipes to check out before Sunday’s Daylight Saving time switch. All you’ll need is a blender and a few minutes prep time:

Dr. Oz’s Sleep & Slim Down Smoothie

With a full cup of cherry juice, banana, and soy milk, this delicious smoothie will have you slipping off into LA LA land in a hurry.

Directions

Combine the cherry juice, banana, milk or yogurt with fat-free milk, ice and vanilla in a blender. Blend until smooth

Sweet Dreams Smoothie
If you suffer from insomnia or you’re just trying to adjust to the time change, making the Sweet Dreams Smoothie part of your nighttime ritual will help you fall asleep.

Directions

Place the ingredients into your high speed blender and blend for around 30-45 seconds or until your desired consistency is reached

Say Goodnight Bedtime Smoothie

Dates are full of tryptophan, and they also have carbs to kick the trytophan into high gear. Blend them into this Bedtime Smoothie and say goodbye to counting sheep.

Directions

Blend and serve.

Although the time change can feel like a pain, the ultimate benefit is that we get more sunshine and more time in the evening to enjoy spring and summer fun.