I hate losing an hour of sleep. But ready or not, daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 8.
Most people treat this as a minor nuisance. They grumble, drink an extra cup of coffee on Monday morning, and move on.
That’s a mistake. The sudden disruption to your circadian rhythm does more than make you cranky. It makes you a hazard to yourself and your finances.
Research consistently shows that tired people make bad choices, get into accidents, and suffer serious medical emergencies.
Here’s what you need to do right now to protect yourself before we spring forward.
How to prepare for the time change
1. Shift your sleep schedule gradually: Don’t wait until Saturday night to realize you’re losing an hour of sleep. Start going to bed 15 to 20 minutes earlier a few days in advance. Going from a sleeping state to waking up is a stressful event for your body.
According to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, springing forward is associated with a 10% to 24% increased risk of a heart attack the following Monday or Tuesday. Ease into the transition so your internal clock isn’t completely shocked.
2. Prepare for a dangerous commute: When you force millions of sleep-deprived drivers onto the road at the exact same time, the results are deadly and expensive. A report from Johns Hopkins University notes that fatal traffic accidents spike by 6% in the days immediately following the time change.
Leave for work 10 minutes early on Monday, increase your following distance, and assume every other driver on the road is operating their vehicle while cognitively impaired.
3. Swap out your smoke detector batteries: You’ve probably heard this advice a thousand times, but I’m repeating it because it saves lives. Use the time change as a biannual trigger to test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
If you can’t remember the last time you changed the batteries, do it now.
4. Delay major financial decisions: Sleep deprivation makes people anxious and risk-averse. If you’re managing your own retirement accounts, the Monday after a time change isn’t the day to panic-sell stocks or make sweeping changes to your portfolio.
As we’ve covered before, the shift can impair your ability to process complex information. If you can, sit on your hands for a few days until your brain fog clears.
5. Audit your automated bills: Since you’re already doing household maintenance, take 15 minutes to review your bank and credit card statements. Look for recurring subscriptions you forgot about. Cancel the streaming service you haven’t watched in three months or the gym membership you aren’t using: See “Stop Wasting Money: 10 Subscriptions to Cancel Today.”)
Use the annoyance of daylight saving time as motivation to keep more cash in your checking account. The time change is frustrating, but you don’t have to let it derail your week. A little preparation goes a long way.
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