Sunday, October 27, France will switch to winter time. Disordered sleep, loss of appetite, depression…the time change affects our biological clock and throws us off course. Why Doctor gives here some advice to limit the damage.
Sunday October 27 at 3 am, France will switch to winter time. And who says time change says disturbance of the biological clock and therefore of sleep, mood and appetite. However, not all of us are equally sensitive to these disturbances. Who are the people most affected and what precautions should we take to better prepare for what lies ahead? Why Doctor takes stock.
Who is most affected by the time change?
Unsurprisingly, the most vulnerable populations are particularly exposed to the effects of this change on the biological clock. Babies and children are the most fragile. A change in their circadian rhythm disrupts their sleep, makes them grumpy and loses their appetite. Adolescents, in whom puberty induces a physiological phase delay and therefore late falling asleep, are also very sensitive to time changes. But the elderly, accustomed to fixed schedules and short sleep can also experience this disorder badly. Finally, subjects who are ill, hospitalized or already weakened sometimes have difficulty adapting to the new seasonal schedules.
A few tips to limit the damage
1/ Shift your bedtimes
Many professionals advise gradually shifting your bedtime by 15 minutes to get used to the time change smoothly. For children, who are particularly sensitive to changes in pace, anticipate a week. As for you, if you go to bed early, force yourself to stay up one hour longer on Saturday evening 26 in order to avoid getting up too early on Sunday 27. Thus, with the same number of hours of sleep, you should wake up around the same time as usual. Finally, to sleep better, immerse your room and especially that of the little ones in complete darkness.
2/ Take it easy
Some people feel very tired after a change of schedule, whatever it is. To reduce this feeling of discomfort, it is recommended to rest as much as possible during the following week and above all to force yourself to adopt a rhythm of life (work, meals, bedtime and meal times) corresponding to the new time. Symptoms should disappear within a few days. If this is not the case, go to the doctor to discuss it with him.
3/ Change your eating habits
Regarding children’s diet, as with sleep, the ideal is to gradually shift mealtimes by 15 minutes in order to avoid disturbing them too much. To counter fatigue, adjust the content of your breakfast by replacing sugars such as jam and sweetened fruit juices with proteins (ham/dinner, cheese, eggs, salmon, etc.) and treat yourself to a snack between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Not Pringles or peanuts of course, but fresh fruit or smoothies. Watch your intake of vitamin D3, magnesium and iron. To be in the nails, rather than using dietary supplementsadd plants such as saffron, St. John’s wort or griffonia to your dishes.
4/ Fill up on light
To prevent the seasonal depression that often accompanies the transition to winter time, some resort to light therapy. It is a question, thanks to specific lamps, of exposing the eyes to a light of specific intensity and light spectrum close to sunlight. For example, you can have your breakfast for 20 to 30 minutes in front of one of its devices. It will improve your mood and concentration, thereby decreasing the symptoms of depression. And of course, get as much natural light as possible. To stall on the solar rhythm, do not hesitate to modify your work habits. If possible, you could for example go to the office earlier to finish earlier and enjoy the light until the end of the day.
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