Hello friends! How is everyone doing this morning? I bet you are doing rather well considering you have the extra hour of sleep that we are about to lose this weekend! Woe is me!
Did you forget? Because I did; and upon finding out that I was about to lose an hour of my precious beauty sleep, my face was very similar to the below:
The good news is we here at Good Life Tea have just what you need to prepare! I am always affected by the time change and it can be heinous for a few days, so I thought this would be a very pertinent article to write to you guys. Let's start with getting ahead of the game.
I'm totally kidding! It won't be too bad. When I did the research on the best ways to prepare for losing our beloved hour of slumber, I consistently saw the recommendation to start preparing your body a few days in advance (hint, hint -- start tonight!). To do this, experts recommend either going to bed or waking up a little bit earlier in each of the days leading up to the actual change. For me, going to bed, perhaps, 20 minutes earlier each night would be the easiest and best way to do so. Because your body is acclimated to a certain time already this may be uncomfortable or difficult at first. In order to help my mind enter relaxation mode earlier, these past few days I have brewed myself a cup of one of our "Sleep Ease" teas each night about an hour before my bedtime. All of these teas are caffeine-free and will help ease your mind into a sense of calm and repose. A couple that have truly helped me recently and in the past are our "Sleep Better" and our "Gentle Slumber". Sleep Better is a herbal combination of valerian root, lemon myrtle, verbena, spearmint, chamomile, and lavender. All of these herbs have known calming effects and blend together for beautiful flavoring. I go to a quiet area and as I sip this tea, I make sure to take deep breaths. This puts me into a rhythm of recline and rest. Similarly, our Gentle Slumber consists of our rooibos, chamomile, and peppermint. Chamomile has a multitude of known sleep aid effects and the peppermint adds a cooling and refreshing tone to help you ease into the zzz's.
If you instead choose to wake up a bit earlier each day, we have some help for this as well! Morning are hard as it is, and, if you're like myself and not quite a morning person, the thought of willing giving away a few of my winks in the morning is hard to fathom. But at Good Life Tea, I've learned to ease this pain with some of our teas. My all time, go-to, favorite tea is our Roasted Yerba Mate. Indigenous to Brazil, this delectable drink is known for it's almost coffee-like, nutty, and caramel flavors. It is similar to coffee in that it will give you the extra boost of energy you long for in the waking hours, but does not include that pesky caffeine crash. I routinely drink this tea and to everyone I have recommended it to, it has become part of their tea frequents as well.
Another tea to help with your wake up routine proves our Citron Green tea. Being one of our most popular green teas, we always have this on hand. It is a simple base green leaf that is awakened with citrus notes of lemon. In it you will taste these components along with a sweetness. Oftentimes you will hear that health gurus recommend warm water with lemon in the morning. This is that, simply heightened with the goodness of green tea, the health benefits that accompany it, and the caffeine that it encompasses to help you shake the dwelling feelings of dormancy.
Another recommendation from the experts on how to combat the loss of an hour of sleep is to get more natural light. Natural light is largely responsible for your circadian rhythms. As many of you are familiar, circadian rhythms control many of your daily routines and vital functions. These include, but are not limited to, your digestive schedule, your release of hormones, and, for our concern, your sleep-wake schedule. When you are exposed to natural light, your brain suppresses the release of melatonin, which is the hormone that helps you drift to dreamland. As we lose an hour of this dreamy doze, you will notice it start to become light later into the day and, conversely, darker in the morning time. By exposing yourself to as much natural light in the morning as possible, you fend off the release of melatonin and, therefore, fight off the dwelling drowsiness. To do so, we recommend making it a habit or ritual for yourself to brew a cup of our tea in the morning, perhaps our Peaceful Journey oolong tea, and either step out onto your porch or take a walk in order to take in some sunshine. Peaceful Journey is a wonderful way to begin the day with it's subtle hibiscus highlights and it will ensure that you have your own peaceful journey throughout the day.
The last recommendation that I stumbled upon is to avoid heavy meals later into the evening. As you sleep, your other bodily functions slow down due to their focus on restorative sleep. Eating before bed inhibits this by keeping your body focused on digesting your food and not on getting into your deep REM cycle sleep. If you are partial to the desserts or often find yourself eating later rather than earlier, you may think about replacing that late night snack with a cup of tea. We have many teas that take into account the ache of the sweet tooth and that can curb that craving. To ensure you don't inhibit your sleep with a full belly, why not try a cup of our Belgian Chocolate rooibos tea instead? Being a rooibos tea, it is innately caffeine free and full of vitamins and antioxidants. It exhibits the expected rooibos tea flavor but is then infused with chocolate to release that luxurious Belgian chocolate truffle flavor. If you choose to drink this before bed, as opposed to eating a big meal, you will sleep better and therefore be less affected by the impending time change!
As you prepare for Daylight Savings, consider these recommendations and let us know if you use any of them! I know I will be preparing accordingly and hoping that losing the hour is only balanced out by the pleasure of the longer lasting light! I hope you all stay warm, safe, and well rested! Happy sipping! - Kaytea :)
P.S. If you are looking for something new to try and also interested in our caffeine free teas, check out this recent review on our Joyful Release!
"Bought on impulse, will definitely buy it again. The taste is smooth, mellow and distinct. I hesitated to review because I can't really describe it for some reason. There is no bite, it's not strong but it is a lovely sipping tea. When you get to the last sip you wish there was more."