If you live in Spain, you already know that on the last Sunday of March clocks will go forward one hour and on the last Saturday of October they go back, this is known as Daylight Saving Time .
This Daylight Saving Time which in principle, is done to promote energy savings, results in a sudden change in our sleeping and eating routines.
How does Daylight Saving Time affect our health?
These routines, called circadian rhythms (from the Latin circa = around and diem = day), respond to light and dark and are controlled by the hypothalamus. This sends signals to the pineal gland, responsible for manufacturing melatonin, essential in regulating sleep.
The fact that night comes so soon gives us the feeling that the day doesn’t give us everything that needs to be done. Does the phrase “doesn’t give me the day” ring a bell? This feeling affects women more, who mostly carry the bulk of the household work and also deal with the mental load of the tasks to be done.
Aside from sleep, circadian rhythms influence our digestion, body temperature, eating habits, and hormone secretion. That is why we help you minimize the effects of the Daylight Saving Time with these simple tips.
How to minimize the effects of the Daylight Saving Time ?
As we have discussed, light prevents the production of melatonin and darkness triggers it. One of the consequences of the Daylight Saving Time is that it gets dark an hour earlier, which added to the fact that the days are considerably shorter, causes the body to produce more melatonin (causing a feeling of drowsiness and tiredness) and less serotonin (causing a feeling of sadness or negativity).
We have compiled a series of simple tips that will help you make the Daylight Saving Time more bearable.
- Try to anticipate. You can go to bed ten minutes later each day the days before the time change to get your body used to the new time. If possible, try to get up a little later each day as well.
- Delay your meals so you don’t go to bed hungry or just had dinner and thus promote sleep.
- Exercise. Yes, once again exercise is recommended. Try to do it as soon as you get up, but never before going to bed, so as not to activate your body before rest.
- Skip the nap for a few days. If you are taking a nap, try not to sleep it to be tired at bedtime. And if you are not, do not take the habit to recover hours of sleep.
- Reduce the consumption of caffeinated beverages and alcohol before resting, as well as the use of computers, tablets or mobile phones at least one hour before going to bed.
- Self-medication is never the solution, there are natural products that will help you fall asleep without resorting to “sleeping pills”.
What natural products can help me with the Daylight Saving Time?
To regulate sleep there are several natural products. You can find it in different formats such as tablets, tinctures and infusions.
Melatonin
In addition to regulating sleep, it is an ally against premature aging due to its high antioxidant power, and its effect against free radicals. The immune system also improves when taking melatonin.
Passionflower
Fights insomnia, relieves muscle fatigue, migraine and helps in mild states of anxiety.
Valerian
Acts as a sedative agent, relaxes the mind and helps to fall asleep.
Acupuncture, Bach Flowers and auriculotherapy are other ways to counteract the adverse effects of jet lag, as well as having many benefits.
St. John’s Wort and 5HTP are natural supplements that have an effect on neurotransmitters and are used in episodes of depression, anxiety, decay and melancholy as they help improve mood.
In the case of St. John’s wort it also helps with vegetative disorders associated with menopause.
5HTP is an amino acid generated by the body that helps the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter associated with a good mood. If serotonin levels drop, it can be taken as a supplement to treat, among others, the negative effects associated with Daylight Saving Time.
Always remember to seek advice from a traditional medicine practitioner before taking any natural supplement. Contact us or visit our store. At Zenia Natural and we will be happy to help you.