Good morning! Have you noticed that the sun is coming up earlier? Yes, it’s that time of the year when we all scramble around trying to remember if we are supposed to fall back or fall forward. Hopefully you remembered to set your clock back one hour before you went to bed on Halloween.
Did you know that people in the United States have been moving their clocks forward in the spring and back again in the fall since 1918? Daylight saving-time was established because most people work between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., and setting the clocks forward one hour in the spring allows us to get more daylight at the end of the day, during the warm summer months. As the days get shorter in the fall and during the winter, the clocks are moved back to standard time.
So why do some of us feel so crummy for a few or more days after we move the clocks forward or back? Well, it’s sort of like having mini jet lag.
The body has an internal clock that controls the release of certain hormones at specific times of the day. The internal clock has no idea about daylight saving-time, and it gets its cues from the sun and the amount of daylight that a person is exposed to. It can often take up to a week to adjust the body’s internal clock to a change in sleep pattern (i.e. feeling sleepy enough to get to sleep one hour earlier in the fall after the time change and getting up one hour earlier ).
Recent studies suggest that the internal clock is more affected by dark mornings than the decrease in the total amount of sunlight. This may have a greater effect on some people more than others, especially those who suffer from a condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), sometimes known as winter depression or winter blues.
Some symptoms of SAD include difficulty concentrating, decreased energy, fatigue and sleepiness, moodiness or irritability. No wonder people dream of a Caribbean vacation in the middle of winter!
Usually, after our internal clocks reset, the symptoms go away, but if you find that the symptoms continue, there are some ways to counteract them. For some, it may be a matter of recognizing what’s going on and adjusting patterns of sleep, exercise and diet. Others may require a visit to the doctor, who may be able to suggest alternative solutions, such as light therapy. Light therapy is more than just sitting in a bright office. Certain light bulbs emit specific light frequencies that have been shown to have a positive impact on many people who are suffering from prolonged or intense symptoms of SAD.
At RHS we’re committed to helping couples overcome their infertility through advanced medical treatments and our holistic mind and body approach to well-being. Visit our website, to learn more about our Balance Within philosophy.