8 Holistic Ways To Sync Your Body's Clock With Daylight Saving Time

This weekend is daylight saving time (often misspelled as "daylight savings"—if you didn't know, now you do). While its origins are relatively unclear, it's a historic tradition we still honor today... unless of course you're one of the lucky ones who live in Arizona.

Having to turn the clocks back almost always causes some level of confusion, even with automatic updates of modern tech. The original purpose of Daylight Saving was to conserve energy and optimize the workday, so you may notice it's a bit brighter when you wake up on Sunday morning.

While this is helpful for early birds, it also means that they days gets darker earlier especially in the northeast, disrupting our circadian rhythms. Even though it's only an hour, falling back can be confusing for our bodies on a cellular level.

Amy Shah, M.D., an expert in hormone, gut and integrative health, maintains that you should get into the routine of looking at the sun in the morning once clocks change, as it helps signal the start of the day to the body.

"The photoreceptors in your eyes go straight to the hypothalamus. This helps reset your internal clock. First thing going outside or looking at the sun through a window is the best way to do this. Of course you want to be careful not to look too long directly at the sun but just generally toward the sun."

While dimming electronics and adjusting to your circadian rhythm is incredibly helpful, sometimes we need a little extra help from the earth.

Both Kalisa and Vora suggest taking advantage of this cozy time to journal and turn inward. Writing during this time, when fall turns to winter and the senses withdraw, can be very insightful.

Of course, discuss with your doctor before beginning any supplement regimen, but she says "B12 and magnesium will help your body energize sooner in the morning, and fall asleep earlier at night, while the maca will give the adrenals extra support during the whole first week of the transition."*

This one's a no-brainer, but we all struggle with it sometimes, especially in the winter. Read: no snoozing!

Routine is important to maintaining any sort of balance, according to modern herbalist Brittany Wood Nickerson. "A regular bedtime and wake-up time can often make all the difference in people's energy levels, motivation and mental/emotional health. When we go through a time change, a bedtime routine/sleep schedule is particularly important and helps us stay on track, because we are held by this schedule, even if the sunlight/clocks are shifting around us." So pick a time and stick with it.