Doing This When You Wake Up Can Help You Adjust To Clocks Going Back

The clocks are set to go back an hour on the 27th of October this year. 

For some, the shift in time can be a little stressful ― and tiring.

“For some, this shift can lead to disrupted sleep patterns and sleep deprivation leaving us feeling groggy, irritable, and less focused during the day,” Dr Rachel Sharman, a researcher in Sleep Medicine, told the Oxford Health Biomedical Centre. 

“This sleep deficit can impair cognitive function, decrease productivity, and even impact mood and mental health.” 

Speaking to HuffPost UK over email, Bethany Lawrence, an orthopaedic expert for Panda London, said that making one choice when you wake up can make the transition easier, however.

Which is?

Exposing yourself to natural light in the morning can hep your brain to adjust to the new light patterns, Lawrence says. 

“Natural light exposure in the morning helps reset your circadian rhythm,” she advised. 

“Try taking a walk outside or opening your curtains early to get as much light as possible, improving mood and helping your body adjust to the time shift.” 

Speaking to The Guardian, Dr Christine Blume, a sleep scientist at the Centre for Chronobiology of the University of Basel, seemed to agree.

“We get information about the time in the environment through our eyes,” she said. 

The light-sensitive parts of our eyes that aren’t responsible for translating photons into images are tied to our body clock, she adds. 

Morning light induces what she calls a “phase advance,” which helps you to fall asleep earlier in the evening ― thus ensuring you’re well-rested enough to make the dark mornings bearable.

Any other advantages?

The NHS has advised all of us to consider taking a daily vitamin D supplement during the autumn and winter. 

That’s because sunlight, which helps us to produce the stuff naturally, is rarer in the colder months.

While it might not make up your entire recommended vitamin D intake, exposure to morning daylight could help to give you an extra boost of the bone and gum-benefitting vitamin.

Additionally, if you add a walk to your morning sunlight exposure, the added serotonin may help to offset the low mood many people experience in the colder months. 

Got to be worth a try, right?