I love this time of year. I can smell
Spring coming, and the milder weather means we can put the windows down in the
car, the garden is starting to grow, and Jumpin' Jacks is open!
(Woot woot!) It also means Spring Break and the days start getting
longer. Huzzah!
There's only one caveat to this blissful
Spring Fever mindset: We move the clocks an hour forward, which means an
hour less sleep. Don't know about you, but the change to Daylight
Savings Time on Sunday has thrown everything out of whack.
I'm not tired at the time I'm
"supposed" to wind-down at night, and instead of falling asleep
within the first ten minutes, I lay in bed for an hour. (Only got 4-1/2
hours last night. Yikes.) The 4:30am alarm that I was used to is
now rousing me at what was 3:30am last week. (No wonder the gym is
empty.) As I sit here writing this, I'm chugging down the largest coffee
the cafeteria sells because I could so fall asleep at my desk right
now. (Caffeine is my friend today.) Can you relate?
So what's really going
on? Here is an explanation of why we have trouble adjusting and some
interesting facts about the biological impact of Daylight Savings Time:
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Our circadian rhythm, nature's built-in
mechanism that affects our behavior, is triggered primarily by the amount of
light and darkness in our environment. Changes in daylight hours disrupts
the release of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep, and interrupts our
circadian body clocks. Interference with the body's natural processes can
impair memory, concentration and performance, and produce symptoms often
compared to jet lag.
A highly-respected expert on "chronogiology"
(the study of circadian rhythms), Prof. Till Roenneberg’s studies show that our internal body
clocks never adjust to gaining an "extra" hour of sunlight at the end
of the day during daylight saving time. "The consequence of that is
that the majority of the population has drastically decreased productivity,
decreased quality of life, increasing susceptibility to illness, and is just
plain tired," Roenneberg said.
Roenneberg goes on to say that light doesn't
have the same affect on the body in the morning as it does in the
evening. "More light in the morning would advance the body clock,
and that would be good. But more light in the evening would even further delay
the body clock," he said.
Several experts offer suggestions for dealing
with the effects of the time change:
1. Get your exercise or workout done early
in the day
2. Avoid coffee in the
afternoon; drink decaf green tea instead
3. Resist the urge to spend that extra hour
of daylight outdoors; get
inside and prepare for night time
4. Drink a cup of chamomile or other
calming herbal tea before bed
5. Avoid alcohol (it may help you fall
asleep, but it's actually a stimulant that will keep you from sleeping well)
6. Turn off the TV, cell phone and computer
an hour before bedtime (the light from the screen can disrupt your body's
ability to relax)
7. Make your bed as comfortable and cozy
as possible and keep your bedroom cool and dark
8. Darken your windows (with shades
or room-darkening drapes) to keep early morning light out of your sleeping
area
9. Practice deep breathing after tucking
yourself in
10. Once you wake up, throw open the drapes
or sit near a bright window during breakfast to reset your inner clock
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