Traditional, Seasonal, Reprehensible pt. 2

Good morning!

There’s quite a bit of evidence showing that the time change messes with us, and plenty of general sleep science saying why. These are especially harsh on teenagers (as mentioned last time), night shift workers, patients in care facilities, elderly folks with dementia, and those with mental health issues. Which covers most of us, I think. The negative health effects on actual living human beings FAR outweigh any supposed benefit for farmers or whatever excuse is being used to justify it today.

Luckily there are a few things you can do to help yourself mitigate them and “reset” your internal clock..

According to Healthline, the different circadian rhythms in your body all take cues from each other. “The cells in the heart, the liver, the lungs, the gut, and the brain are all in part regulated by internal clocks or genes, and those cells are also signaling each other,” says Daniel S. Lewin, PhD.

The co-director of the Sleep Medicine and Research Center at St. Luke’s Hospital in St. Louis and American Academy of Sleep member Dr. Shalini Paruthi recommends at least for 3 days prior to the change, moving up your bedtime by 15 to 20 minutes until you reach the full hour.

To be safe, WebMD suggests “mak(ing) an extra effort to be well-rested the week before the time change.” To help support this transition, it is also recommended to shift other activities to earlier in the evening, like nighttime showering or dinner. Though exercise is helpful in making this change, be sure that it and other stimulating activities like action movies, alcohol or caffeine* take place several hours before bed, as well as re-energizing daytime napping, Establishing a bedtime routine and sticking to it can be very helpful overall, but especially during this time.

Exposure to too much light, like blue light from phones or TVs, 30 minutes before bed can throw off natural production of melatonin in the brain. The same goes (to a slightly lesser degree) for any artificial light, so try to dim your house as much as you can. Using aids like ear plugs or a sleep mask are encouraged.

For the few days after the change, a good idea is to step outside as soon as you wake up, so you can take advantage of natural light to “dramatically” help reset your internal clock. Healthline points out how beneficial an early morning walk or jog could be.

Also after the change, research has shown up to a 6% increase in motor accidents, so try your best to drive safely and pay attention to the cars around you (which is, of course, much easier if you had a good night’s sleep).

“Working to reset your internal clocks over a few days rather than a single night prevents an unnecessary shock to your system,” writes Michelle Pugle.

*Some people actually get sleepy from caffeine. Just know your own body, and take the advice that fits

Please share this info and these tips so we’re not all out of whack for a week. I gave you a reminder with plenty of time!

Until next time,

Salud.