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Time Change Wreaks Havoc On Our ‘Internal Clocks’

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In a few days most of the country will spring forward into Daylight Savings Time. While the extra hour of daylight will be a welcome boost for many winter weary souls, body clocks may be temporarily baffled, making sleeping (and waking) very difficult.

Sleep experts say that the time change comes as a jolt to our internal clocks, and it can take as long as two weeks for our bodies to adjust. Recent European studies show that Daylight Savings Time essentially disrupts our body’s natural tracking of dawn. This disruption affects our moods, our ability to get things done and our ability to concentrate.

If our bodies could adjust naturally then the change would not be so disruptive. Unfortunately, there are many aspects of our lives that depend on unnatural signals (odd work schedules that keep us working late at night or doing shift work, pre-dawn wakeup calls, drugs to keep us either asleep or awake). Unlike our cavemen ancestors, who let the sun dictate their day-night cycles and define the hours of rest and work, we let the demands of everyday life decide when we eat, sleep and work.

According to Dr. Victoria Sudelescu, a sleep expert with the University of Cincinnati Sleep Center, the “spring forward” clock change in March is more difficult to adjust to than the “fall back “change. To adjust to the change she recommends at least eight hours of sleep in order to stay healthy and alert during the day.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine offers the following tips to help your body adjust to the time change:

• Begin to change your sleep routine a few days before the time change by going to bed earlier.
• Readjust your mealtime schedule by eating dinner an hour earlier.
• Avoid naps, especially close to bedtime.
• Avoid turning to excessive caffeine to help you wake up in the morning or alcohol to help you sleep at night.
• Eat nutritious meals and drink plenty of water.

Adele Kristianson, director of marketing and legislative affairs for the National Road Safety Foundation, said we can expect to see a spike in traffic accidents when the time changes. “Drowsiness is a condition most drivers fail to recognize and it can be every bit as dangerous as drinking and driving,” she said.

Most people are hesitant to take prescription sleep aids for fear of becoming addicted. That being the case, millions of Americans are using all-natural supplements to help ensure a good nights sleep.