The Health Impacts of Daylight Savings Time

Although Daylight Savings only happens twice a year, it can cause big disruptions in people’s physical and mental health. How exactly can moving the clocks backward or forward just one hour cause adverse side effects?

In the fall and winter seasons, many people spend a majority of their day indoors at work, school, or more likely in 2020 pandemic life, their homes. By the time most people are leaving work, the sun has begun to set or is completely gone. This means less exposure to sunlight which limits the amount of Vitamin D our bodies produce. 

Good news about moving the clocks forward: we get more sunlight! According to UT Southwestern Medical Center, less exposure to Vitamin D is linked to low mood, depression, muscle pain, fatigue, and weakened bones. Sunlight also increases the production of two important hormones: melatonin (sleep-inducing) and serotonin (the “happy chemical”). 

However, this clock change in combination with the disruption in sleep patterns from either waking up one hour earlier or later can cause an increased risk of mental illness, as well as an increased chance of lower mood or feeling grumpy and tired. Many people relate the time change to the feelings of jet lag after travel.

But not all hope is lost! There are ways we can manage the Daylight Savings transition to make it easier on our bodies and mental health.

The first is to make the change gradually and stick to your sleep schedule. The clock may say 9am, but your body feels like it’s 8am. Getting up and going to bed at your normal times and then gradually shifting them is the best way to ease your body into the transition.

Another tip is to take advantage of sunlight when you can. Whether that’s a brief walk outside at lunch or opening the blinds, exposure to the sun while it is out can help stimulate your body.  That's one of the reasons why we like to keep the blinds open and let the sunshine into the studio when we can!

Lastly . . .  and this tip can go for any time of year, limit your caffeine intake especially in the evening. This doesn’t mean you have to give up your morning coffee, but try not to consume caffeine in the late afternoon/evening hours to keep yourself on a regular sleep schedule.  Instead, maybe try a gentle or restorative yoga class in the evening to further help you relax and wind down.

Next time Daylight Savings nears on your calendar, make life easier for yourself by making small changes that can help ease your transition to this new time.