General Tips
Do you also belong to the people who have problems adjusting to daylight saving time? About every second person complains about symptoms such as tiredness during the day, difficulties concentrating, or trouble falling asleep.
To make the transition a little easier for you, we have put together some tips.
- Our internal clock is ultimately set by daylight. In this respect, the change to daylight saving time actually corresponds to our physiological needs, as it also gets light earlier. The problem with the change is simply that it happens so suddenly. Therefore, it is useful to prepare for the time change several days in advance and gradually go to bed earlier during the winter to summer transition. This way, you gradually adjust to the missing hour.
- A walk in the fresh air can work wonders for extreme tiredness during the day. Daylight leads to an increased serotonin and subsequent melatonin release. Melatonin regulates sleep and wakefulness. So a lot of daylight ensures sensible regulation, makes you alert, and in the evening, when the light is missing, tired - just like being active outdoors. Especially during the time change, it is therefore advisable to spend a lot of time outside. Artificial lighting does not come close to the brightness of daylight - even on cloudy days.
- Make sure not to fill your schedule too full in the first three days after the time change. Avoid early morning appointments if possible, as well as late evening appointments. Give yourself a gentle transition into the new time.
- If you typically react strongly to the time change, and if possible, avoid driving and potentially dangerous activities at work and at home - studies show an increased risk of accidents, especially in the first few days after the change to daylight saving time.
Daylight Saving Time with Babies and Children
For some toddlers, it is often difficult to adjust to the new time, especially parents of toddlers report difficulties with the change (see below). They do not seem to want to get used to the new time and they either become more easily irritable or are already wide awake early in the morning. This also makes it more difficult for parents to make use of the extra hour in the winter.
But basically, the same applies as already mentioned above:
- The most important thing when it comes to daylight saving time and children is to maintain the familiar daily routine and not to suddenly change the evening routine from one day to the next. In the days leading up to the change, parents can already try to start the transition early by gradually shifting the daily rhythm by a few minutes. This means that meal and sleep times are gradually shifted every day, allowing the little ones to adapt better to the new time and not be suddenly surprised by it. It is also advisable that if the children wake up at night, not to start playing with them, but to remain consistent and not show any signs of being unsettled. Even small babies can sense this uncertainty and respond with insecurity.
- Another tip is to make the days before the change a bit more active and spend more time outdoors than usual, so that the little ones can fall asleep a little earlier and exhausted. However, in order to achieve the opposite effect of having wide awake and energetic children, you should make sure that your children still have enough time in the evening to calm down from the exciting day.
- After the time change, it is also a little darker in the morning, so parents should make sure that the apartment is nice and bright in the morning. In order to start the day off right, it can also help if the family walks to kindergarten or school.
- From the age of ten, it becomes a little easier for children to adjust to the time change, as a one-hour transition no longer affects their bodies much.
Daylight Saving Time and Night Shifts
People who work night shifts are often particularly affected by the time change.
A regular sleep schedule is crucial for night shift workers. But it is often lost for them.
This is how you get through the night...
As soon as it gets dark, the messenger substance melatonin is released more intensively, reaching its peak between two and three o'clock in the morning. At this point, many night shift workers reach their low point and feel tired and unfocused. With the change to standard time, the night becomes one hour longer, which can make the rest of the night shift torturous.
It is important now to ensure bright lighting, as this decreases the production of melatonin to some extent and allows you to stay awake longer. However, coffee should be handled cautiously during night shifts. You should only drink it a few hours before the shift begins and not towards the end of work, as it takes a few hours for the effects to unfold. If you forget this, falling asleep in the early morning hours can be difficult. A cool glass of water can be a good alternative for in between. As soon as you notice that your eyes are getting heavy, you should also move around more. Stretch yourself thoroughly and if possible, go outside for a while, as this can make you feel more awake again.
...and how to fall asleep well the next morningWhen it gets brighter again in the next few hours, the melatonin level drops again and it becomes more difficult for the body to fall asleep in the morning because it is awake again. If, despite the extra hour of work, you still have trouble falling asleep and have some difficulties with the transition, you should take some measures to ease into sleep.
When leaving your workplace, it is best to wear sunglasses to dim the daylight a bit. When you arrive home, you should definitely make sure that your bedroom is completely dark so that your body can adjust to the "night." It is also important that you can sleep in peace. If this is difficult, it can help to play gentle music or use earplugs. Small habits can help your body to distinguish between when you want to sleep and when you want to be awake. For example, take a shower with lukewarm water before bedtime, so that your body naturally becomes tired.