Preparing Your Home For Daylight Savings
Happy fall! We hope you’re enjoying all the pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin carving that this season brings. In addition to those autumn leaves and trick-or-treating, fall also brings daylight savings.
This year, on November 4th, the clock will “fall back"
one hour at 2:00 AM (making it 1:00 AM). This allows for more light in the morning, but unfortunately makes it darker much sooner in the evenings.
Here are some ways to prepare yourself, your kids and your home for daylight savings this season!
Prepare Yourself
Before you can prepare your home and family, you must first prepare yourself. Luckily, fall daylight savings gives us an extra hour of sleep rather than losing an hour. However, whether you’re gaining or losing an hour, it can still be very disorienting so it’s important to plan ahead. Here’s how to prepare:
Get Into A Routine
In the days leading up to the time change, begin to alter your sleep schedule. Because the clocks will be going back an hour, start going to sleep a little earlier or waking up earlier.
For example, if you normally go to sleep at 11:00 PM, the time change will have your body thinking it’s actually 10:00 PM when the clock says 11:00 PM. Going to sleep earlier will prepare your body for that awkward jump.
Avoid Caffeine
Daylight savings is known for messing with our circadian rhythms. This means that our whole sleep schedule can get thrown off just by the clocks moving back (or forward) an hour. In order to avoid any additional issues when it comes to getting used to your new sleep schedule, try to avoid any stimulants like caffeine.
While we love caffeine and all its magical powers to keep us awake, it can keep you from falling asleep at night and can also affect the quality of your sleep. In order to make your transition into daylight savings time a little smoother, try to avoid coffee or soda for some time before and after the clocks fall back.
Switch Your Clocks Earlier In The Day
Earn some bonus points for extra preparedness this season by setting your clocks back earlier in the day. If there’s one thing that can be confusing about the time change it’s waking up feeling like it should be 9:00 AM and not 8:00 AM.
Set your clocks back an hour the day leading up to the time change. This way you’ll be able to get used to the difference before waking up to it the next day!
Prepare your kids
Kids seem to take the time change the worst. Young children especially need a solid sleep schedule so the time change can really throw them off. Follow these steps to make sure your kids have an easy transition.
Keep Evening Activities Calm
First thing’s first, keep the night time activities calm. This means really taking the time to prepare your kids for lights out by avoiding too much physical activity close to bedtime. Instead, consider reading a book to your child, playing a movie or even just relaxing together a few hours before bed.
Create A Sleep-promoting Environment
This step ties right in with keeping the nighttime activities calm. Creating a relaxing environment for your children to sleep will help them adjust more easily to the time change. Make sure your child’s bedroom is dark, cool, comfortable, clutter-free and most importantly–quiet. The more relaxing, the better.
Be Patient
As a parent, you’re no stranger to the virtue of patience. As mentioned previously, kids have the hardest time adjusting to the time change. So no matter what, make sure that you’re helping them adjust by being patient and aware of their needs during this time. By following the previous steps, you should have your kids back on track in no time.
Prepare Your Home
Daylight savings is the perfect time to do some necessary check-ups on your home. Treat this time as a sort of divide in your year to do things you probably want to do bi-annually. Here are some steps for preparing your home for the time change:
Replace Batteries
All too often we forget to check the batteries in important things like remotes, flashlights and most importantly–smoke alarms! Use this time of preparation to check the batteries of essential household items like these and replace them if necessary.
Prepare Your Heating And Cooling Systems
Fall back can only mean one thing–winter is coming! This daylight savings, prepare your air conditioning unit for the cold weather to come.
You can do this by cleaning out your system with a long vacuum hose or with a bristle brush to keep your unit nice and clean for when you use it again in the spring.
As for your heating system, be sure to check your heating vents to see if they’re open and ready to go. You can clean out your furnace the same way you clean out your air conditioning unit–with a long hose or bristle brush.
When it comes to heating and air, efficiency is important too.
Tidy Up
Like spring cleaning–but for fall! Use the ‘fall back’ in the clocks as a time to take stock in the condition of your home. Consider a deep cleaning or maybe just go through your belongings and get rid of some of the things you don’t use or wear anymore.
Whatever you choose to do, cleaning up at the time of daylight savings will have you feeling fresh and ready to go for the winter.
Most Importantly, Don’t Forget To Switch Your Clocks!
And finally, the most important tip of all. Switching your clocks is the number one way to prepare for the time change this fall. Fortunately, many cell phones will change the times all on their own but don’t forget to switch your alarm clocks, car clocks, the clocks on your oven and microwave and stove, etc.
Just one forgotten clock could mean leaving late for work or missing your favorite TV show, so make sure to cover all of your bases!
We hope that these tips will help prepare you, your family and your home for a hassle-free daylight savings switch.
Here at Killingsworth, we consider ourselves experts in homecare. With the cold weather coming, it’s important to be prepared for anything. Schedule a service with us for any home or outdoor maintenance you may need this season!
