The colder months signal the start of different things for everyone—for some, it’s the return of the pumpkin-spiced latte and cable-knit sweaters, to others, it’s back to school supplies and parent-teacher conferences, and for far too many, it begins an annual disruption to our sleep schedule. Darker mornings and earlier nights have long plagued those of us who try, and fail, to keep our bedtimes consistent as the seasons change.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults ages 18 to 64 should be getting between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. How close are you? We checked in with Gayln Perry, a physician with the Perry Center for Pediatric and Adult Sleep Care, and she said the number one sleep disorder affecting people is simply insufficient sleep. Daylight Savings Time is known to disrupt sleep routines, and she advocates for maintaining standard time year-round.
Let’s face it—we all need more sleep. But how?
An appropriate sleep environment is key. Products like white-noise machines and sleep masks can be helpful and essential if you’re a particularly light sleeper or someone prone to one last scroll on social media. According to Perry, making your bed has a tremendous impact on sleep quality. “There’s something about crawling into a nice bed that’s so inviting in the evenings. Having a dark, quiet, and cool environment is essential to good quality sleep.”
Keep your schedule consistent. While Perry admits your genetic wake-up time is typically hard-set and difficult to change, it’s more about our self-imposed “social jet lag.” “We live in a 24/7 society,” Perry says. “What most Americans do is skip sleep during the work week and catch up on the weekends.” It may not be easy, but consistency is key.
It is true—some of us will always be night owls, and some of us are genetically predisposed to love the mornings. But consistent wake-up and bedtimes are the easiest, best way to lean away from those preferences and towards a schedule that makes sense for us. “I tell people that before we had electricity, farmers would go to bed when the sun went down and got up when the rooster crowed. All most people need to do is get enough sleep and they will feel markedly better,” says Perry.