The Bane that is Daylight Savings Time
Daylight Savings Time (DST) impacts over 3 million people. This idea of daylight savings originally came from Benjamin Franklin who proposed DST would save money on the purchase of candles and was enacted during World War I as an effort to save money worldwide. However, research has pushed back on DST showing the cost to our mental and physical health is high. Studies demonstrate after DST we are more likely to get in a car accident, have increased inflammation due to stress, higher risk of heart attack and stroke, have lower cognitive functioning, decreased focus, have increased anxiety, increased depression, and a negative impact on our overall mood. Wow! I am definitely experiencing many of these negative side effects as we just went through the time change.
Daylight is key to maintaining our circadian rhythm and maintaining balance within our system. Our bodies work best when we follow the rhythm and patterns of the sun. During DST we are waking in the dark and have more sunlight in the evening hours. While some may theorize this is better for getting out and doing activities after work this actually works against our mental health. Daylight before bedtime interrupts the natural circadian rhythm and will be more likely to keep us up and lessen our ability to fall asleep and get the rest required. The human system functions better when we get daylight in the morning to wake us up, prepare us for the day, and set us up for success. We need the darkness at night to signal our bodies to prepare for rest and sleep.
Here are some tips for combatting the impact of the time change
Adjust your sleep schedule over the course of 5-7 days. Go to bed earlier so you are still able to get 7-9 hours of sleep and wake up at your usual time. Focus on adjusting change at the front end getting more sleep but not by sleeping in. You can then adjust by a few minutes each day over the course of the week getting back to your usual bedtime. This method will create less burden on your system.
Give yourself grace and compassion for the week following the time change. Understand you will continue to feel the impact of the time change for around a week following the change. You may need to adjust your activity level, workflow, and mental health care and have increased self-care during this time of adjustment.
Focusing on getting daylight in the morning even a small amount will help. If you are unable to get sunlight in the morning, try taking your lunch and going for a walk. Anything to get sunlight earlier in the day.
Avoid activities in the evening such as exercise, drinking caffeine, eating food, consuming alcohol, or time on electronics which can impact tiredness and the ability to get to sleep.
Maintaining normal bedtime and morning routines to trigger your body into sleep and wake cycles while also understanding the sun is key to resetting your internal clock.
Good luck with the change 3 million of us are currently struggling through and remember, we are in this together so let’s give some extra compassion and kindness to those around us this week! We are all pulling for you and in your corner. Have a good week.
-Penney