The clocks are about to change. How might this affect me?

In Europe and many other parts of the world, two time zones are established to promote energy savings: summer time and winter time. This time change is not without debate, and many people feel worse in the days following the time change. But does the time change really affect our mood?

Our biological clock, which regulates sleep and wakefulness and is essential for our health, depends on melatonin , a hormone that is secreted in response to sunlight: when there is less sunlight, more melatonin is produced and it induces sleep.

Thus, the time change causes a small temporal mismatch between the internal signals of our biological clock and external signals (sunlight, temperature, activity level...).

For example, when we enter summer time, even though we are waking up at the same time (because the clock and the light level tell us so), our body knows that we are getting up an hour earlier.

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This hormonal imbalance will generally make us feel more tired, have trouble sleeping, be in a worse mood and irritable, or even experience stomach problems or premature aging of the skin. All these changes are temporary , and within a few days or a couple of weeks, melatonin levels will return to normal.

And who is most affected? In general, children and the elderly are most affected, as they are more sensitive to hormonal changes and have more established daily routines. Teenagers are likely to maintain their pre-time bedtime, which can negatively impact the quality and quantity of their sleep. Women also suffer more from the time change because they generally take on more household chores in addition to their work responsibilities, often experiencing increased fatigue and feeling overwhelmed in the days following the change.

As the time change approaches , we can take some steps to help us adapt more healthily and prevent some of the discomfort it may cause:

1. Anticipate the change. Making abrupt changes isn't a good idea. It's preferable to gradually adjust your sleep schedule (getting up or going to bed 15 minutes earlier or later, depending on whether it's the summer or winter change) during the week leading up to it. Just as we anticipate the change in sleep patterns, it's also advisable to adjust meal times to help our stomachs prepare for the change. This anticipation is especially helpful for children and teenagers, and it's most effective when the whole family does it together.
2. Get moving . Moderate physical exercise, especially if done in the early hours of the day, will help us stay active and have more energy for the rest of the day.
3. Avoid naps . Although it may be tempting, compensating for tiredness by taking naps won't help us adapt to the change. It's preferable to maintain our usual sleep patterns at night. Similarly, since sleep disturbances will be temporary, it's not advisable to use sleep medication without a doctor's prescription.
4. Moderate your alcohol and coffee consumption . To help your sleep-wake cycle adjust after the time change, it's advisable to avoid coffee, alcohol, and other stimulants, especially during the second half of the day.
5. Regulate our activity . Taking advantage of daylight hours to do activities, not accumulating tiredness on the weekend when the time change will take place, or avoiding excessive use of electronic devices will also help make the time change less traumatic.