Set Your Clocks Back, Set Your Body Ahead

Daylight Savings Time will end in 2012 this coming weekend on Sunday, November 4, 2012. As you prepare to set your clocks back one hour this weekend, this is also a great time to think about all your other preparedness needs.

1) Most fire departments recommend changing the batteries in your fire alarms, especially if the alarms aren't already hardwired into your electrical system.

2) Each year the Peoria City/County Health Department recommends checking your emergency stockpiles of food, batteries, flashlights, etc. The Peoria Health Department has stated that you should have at least three days' worth of survival gear in case of a natural disaster.

3) It is certainly worth checking if any of your medicine cabinet medications have expired. The FDA warns that expired medications can be less effective or even downright "risky due to a change in chemical composition or decrease in potency. Improper storage – such as a humid bathroom cabinet – can also contribute to decreased effectiveness in medicines that have not reached their posted expiration date."

4) Take advantage of the opportunity this weekend to get one more hour's worth of sleep. As we enter the darker winter months, you may be tempted to enjoy an extra hour's worth of revelry instead. But adequate sleep, especially in the northern climate of Peoria and Illinois, may be necessary in order to keep your body's immune system primed and ready to fight off viral infections. Lack of sleep can prevent your immune system from properly fighting off colds or the flu.

5) Practicing good sleep habits now can also help prevent Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of depression that occurs during the long winter months.

6) To put your body into top function as we gear up for winter, come in to your chiropractor for a checkup. Just as we tune up our cars and snowblowers for the Peoria winter months, the stresses that our bodies face in wintertime are different than the milder months. If you need your immune system and nervous system to operate at maximum capacity, consider chiropractic!

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