Are you feeling a bit more tired today due to losing an extra hour of precious sleep this weekend
Daylight Savings Time has begun and it can directly affect your health, throwing off your circadian rhythm and potentially causing you to eat more!
No one loves losing an hour of sleep, myself included. But I do love moving that extra hour of daylight from the morning to the evening.
Now that one-hour doesn’t seem like it should affect you, but since Daylight Saving Time happens on the weekend, we often stay up later or sleep in longer. And then when you try to go to bed at your usual time, it can leave you restless and make for a crummy night’s sleep.
And thanks to our 24-hour internal clock, the circadian rhythm, our bodies will still want to continue sleeping even after the alarm goes off in this morning.
Losing sleep can affect your mood, memory, and concentration. And if you noticed unusual carb carvings yesterday, research has shown people can eat an extra 200 calories the day after Daylight Saving Time begins.
Studies have also linked spikes in workplace injuries and car crashes to the annual time change, as well as “cyberloafing” - a term that means you’re wasting time online instead of working.
Other research has found missing out on that one hour of sleep could contribute to a higher risk of stroke and heart attacks.
Please try to get some daylight first thing when you wake up. Eat your breakfast in front of a window or if you’re getting up in the dark, turn on plenty of lights to brighten up your home.
Also, it’s important to skip caffeine after lunch and avoid naps during the day which can make you less sleepy at night.
I really recommend you spend lots of time outdoors, taking a morning or evening walk to connect with the day and night cycle.
And just like jet-lag, it’ll take a few days but eventually you’ll adjust and feel back to normal.
