advice: how can i survive daylight saving time?
colleen carney, a toronto metropolitan university professor and sleep specialist, describes the shift as a “real-world experiment to simulate jet lag”
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and while the one-hour shift doesn’t sound like a big deal, the twice a year change — clocks are set forward an hour in march — has become a controversial practice because of the effects on health. getty
dear asking for a friend,
i dread the time of the year that the clocks change. whether we are springing forward or falling backwards, i find that my energy levels are so depleted for days afterward. any tips on how to handle it?
as we turn the clock back to move from daylight saving to standard time, we will lose an hour of daylight in the late afternoon. and while the one-hour shift doesn’t sound like a big deal, the twice a year change — clocks are set forward an hour in march — has become a controversial practice because of the effects on health. a study in 2019 found that an extra hour of natural light in the evening has a negative impact on the quality of our snooze, reducing how long we stay asleep by around 19 minutes. and we have all heard of the risks of not getting enough sleep including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression.
a 2019 report in the journal of clinical medicine reviewed seven studies that included over 100,000 participants, revealing an increased risk of heart attack in the weeks following the fall and spring daylight saving transitions. meanwhile, a danish study found an eight per cent rise in clinical depression after the fall change, noting that transition is “associated with a negative psychological effect as it very clearly marks the coming of a period of long, dark and cold days.” and one 2011 analysis of police statistics by global news showed that nine more pedestrians were injured or killed in toronto in the week following the fall time change.
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colleen carney, a toronto metropolitan university professor and sleep specialist, told global news that the shift, which essentially causes a mismatch between the clock and your internal body clock is like a “real-world experiment to simulate jet lag” — as your body is trying to adjust to the new time, you experience mental and physical fatigue. your metabolism and eating routine can also be affected.
christine cauwels, a clinical mental health counsellor and director of therapy with cerebral, a telehealth company that offers mental health support, says that seasonal depression, known as seasonal affective disorder (sad), is on the rise at this time of year as the shorter, darker days take a toll on well-being. and turning the clocks back doesn’t help.
cauwels, based in hillsborough, north carolina, offers tips on how to incorporate more light into your days, including light box therapy to counteract the shorter daylight hours. the technique, which requires sitting in front of one of the specially designed light devices that mimics natural light for 30 to 60 minutes each day. vitamin d can also provide a much-needed boost, she says, since less exposure to the sun depletes the levels of the sunshine vitamin in the body. finally, more exercise and less alcohol will help support mental health and emotional wellness during a period when seasonal depression is most common.
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of course, if you are finding that feelings of depression and fatigue are persisting or overwhelming, it’s a good idea to seek medical advice.
karen hawthorne is a toronto-based writer.
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