Clocks go forward on Sunday (stock image) (Image: Getty)
Brits are bracing themselves for a lost hour of sleep this weekend, as the clocks prepare to spring forward. However, there is a straightforward adjustment you can make to avoid suffering the effects of « jet lag » as we transition into summer, and it’s simpler to manage than you might expect.
Professor of Neuroscience Rob Lucas, from the University of Manchester, has shed light on an easy step we can take to help our body clocks adapt. While feeling out of sorts when the clocks change is perfectly natural, there’s no reason to allow it to affect your wellbeing.
This follows another useful tip that was shared recently. A health alert has also been issued about the adjustment.
The university recently posted a TikTok video in which Professor Lucas outlined the best way to adapt to the time change. When questioned about his own approach, he said: « It’s really simple.
« We have inside our body an inherent sense of biological time, and that has to be reset to what we define as the right time of day, and the way that our body clock knows what time of day it is by experiencing light, and bright light as much as possible. »
He added: « If you want to start to get up earlier in the morning, the thing to do is to get up and expose yourself to natural daylight as much as possible first thing in the morning. »
He also highlighted that the clock change takes place over Saturday night for good reason, adding: « Mostly, that’s the time – Saturday/Sunday – when people have most flexibility over their schedule. Take advantage of that flexibility.
« Not by ignoring the clock change, but by making Sunday the first day that you respond to the clock change and then, by the time you get to Monday, you’ll be a good way forward through that process of adjusting to the new time. »
Given that Professor Lucas serves as Director of the Centre for Biological Timing, his advice is well worth heeding. Indeed, there’s a compelling reason why exposing yourself to sunlight on Sunday is particularly beneficial.
How to adjust to clocks going forward
One of the most effective measures you can take to adapt to the clocks going forward is by keeping your bedroom dark at night, while increasing your exposure to bright, natural sunlight in the morning to help reset your body clock.
Morning sunlight is particularly crucial, as it assists your body in adapting to the new time. The shift to Daylight Saving Time (DST) disrupts your internal body clock (circadian rhythm) because it effectively creates darker mornings and lighter evenings.
Morning light serves as the principal signal to reset this clock, enabling you to feel more alert earlier in the day and drift off to sleep at the appropriate time each evening. Morning light exposure assists in overcoming the « lost hour » and enhances alertness throughout the day.
Typically, it’s recommended people spend approximately 15 minutes outdoors within the first 30 to 60 minutes of waking on Sunday, as well as the following days, to help adapt effectively. When the clocks spring forward, individuals frequently experience symptoms comparable to jet lag.
Despite no travel being involved, the abrupt one-hour adjustment disrupts the body’s internal clock (circadian rhythm), generating a phenomenon commonly described as « social jet lag ».
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