Amanda Jewson | MSW, BSW, RSW

In July I was up at 5:45, working out, morning-personing it UP and truly insufferable. These days, however, I hit snooze three times and need two coffees before I can produce a full sentence. Same alarm, same amount of sleep, completely different human.

This is not a sudden personality change. It is the fall sleep slump, and it’s all to do with light exposure!
Light signals to my brain that the day has started. In July, it shows up before my alarm does. In the fall, 5:45 is still the middle of the night as far as my body is concerned, and I don’t do things in the dark, thanks.  

More than half of Canadians say they feel like they need more sleep in the fall and winter, but maybe we need more light too? And if a full fall calendar means I am genuinely short on sleep too, that is sleep debt stacking on top.

What actually helps, in order:
1. Light in my eyes within an hour of waking
2. Weekend wake up within an hour of my weekday one
3. Last coffee by 2pm (I’m sorry!)
4. Making sure my bed is actually a place I want to sleep, thanks to the sleep experts at @sleepcountrycan.

One clinical note, because I always say it: if you are lying awake for hours or waking up and cannot get back to sleep, that is a different conversation than sleep debt, and it is worth talking to someone about.
Check the link in my bio for more tips on the Sleep Country blog!
#ad #SleepCountryCanada #SleepDebt #SleepWell