The switch to summer time poses a number of health risks: how to adapt
Ukraine will switch to summer time again on 29 March. Although we will gain more daylight, this change is much harder on the body than the autumn switch.
Sleep specialist Daria Pylypenko explained how Ukrainians can adapt to daylight saving time without harming their health.
How the time change affects the body
According to the sleep specialist, every person lives according to three rhythms simultaneously, which ideally should coincide:
- Biological: our internal rhythm (approximately 24 hours), which operates even in complete darkness.
- Solar: light, which ‘tweaks’ our internal settings.
- Social: work, nursery and school timetables.
“When we change the clocks, desynchronisation occurs. The social schedule changes instantly, but the hormonal system (the gut, the endocrine system) cannot adapt in an instant. It needs time,” notes the expert.
At the same time, people usually find the switch to summer time more difficult than the switch to winter time – which, in fact, is the standard for our latitudes.
Changing the clocks: what are the health implications?
In the US and Europe, a number of studies have found that the time change has a negative impact on health.
Statistics show that in the first few days after the change:
- the risk of strokes and heart attacks increases, as cortisol regulates heart rate and blood pressure, which are disrupted by the new schedule.
- when switching to winter time, the number of suicides increases by 11% and the number of road traffic accidents by 6%.
How to prepare for the clock change: a step-by-step guide
To ease the transition to summer time, you need to:
Light therapy in the morning. Light is the main signal for the brain. After waking up, switch on the brightest light in the house if there is no sun outside. If possible, use special 10,000-lux lamps. This will help break down any remaining melatonin more quickly and banish morning drowsiness.
Exercise for your ‘peripheral’ clocks. Our internal clocks aren’t just in the brain, but also in our muscles and gut. Even a light stretch in the morning sends a signal to the whole body: ‘The day has begun, time to get to work’.
A protein-rich breakfast. In the morning, choose foods rich in amino acids. This will help synthesise serotonin (the ‘happiness hormone’) during the day, which will be converted into melatonin in the evening.
The 30-minute rule. Daria strongly advises against shifting your bedtime by an hour – this can lead to reflex insomnia. Start shifting your bedtime gradually (over a week or at least 3–4 days) by 30 minutes at a time. In the evening, dim the lights and avoid strenuous exercise (at least 5 hours before bed).
Forget about ‘yesterday’s time’. On Monday, start living by the new schedule without overthinking it. Don’t calculate: ‘According to the old time, it would be such-and-such o’clock now.’ This confuses the brain and prolongs the adjustment period.
