Daylight Savings & the CO$T to your health.

As we approach Daylight Savings it is important to talk about what we have all experienced, but NO ONE talks about - it sucks & makes you feel awful!

The change in time by shifting the clock ahead one hour impacts our circadian rhythm, or our internal day/night clock.

This impacts our hormones, hunger, sleep patterns, energy and immune health.

During this transition we are more likely to experience headaches, hunger/food cravings, heart palpitations, brain fog, low mood, short temper, trouble sleeping/poor sleep quality, low energy/fatigue and a weakened immune system.

Crazy right? All because of a 1-hour shift in the time of day!!!

Most of these symptoms stem from changes in our sleep patterns that result in less sleep or disruptions in the stages of sleep that are key to regulating our circadian rhythm and our overall health.

“Failure to plan, is planning to fail” - Benjamin Franklin.

Prepare your body the week before so you are able to adapt and less impacted physically & mentally.

Let’s start in the morning with sunlight exposure and aim to get sunlight exposure throughout the day. This helps your body know when it’s time to sleep and improves the quality of sleep at night.

Focus on eating protein and fat in your meals and avoid/limit sweets and starches. This helps to regulate your blood sugar levels, as blood sugar swings can cause the same symptoms as daylight savings.

Exercise, optimally in the morning, but any time before late afternoon works. Again, all about sleep quality. Exercise increases ‘sleep debt’ or simply, makes you physically tired and helps you sleep well at night. Intense exercise later in the day can make it harder to get to sleep at night.

Avoid /limit caffeine, especially after 12 pm. We all metabolize caffeine differently though caffeine consumed after 12pm is chemically still in your system when you go to bed and impacts your sleep quality.

Practice deep breathing or meditation in the afternoon or evening to help regulate stress hormones.

Avoid alcohol because it 100% impacts sleep quality.

Go to bed 15-30 minutes earlier to begin to adjust your routine to the transition.

These tips can help you adapt even if you failed to plan. Implement these at the start of daylight savings or any time you’re feeling the impact to support your body in the adjustment.

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Want to learn more about how to help your body adapt to the time change or optimize your sleep? Let’s chat!