Performing routines in a familiar sequence day in and day out will make you more productive in the long run. But what happens when we change the clocks? What can you do to help your body adjust? Read the most important hacks for "daylight saving time" here.
1. What happens when the clocks change?
The body loves nothing more than routines : they help it to complete all its tasks efficiently using the fewest resources possible. High performers like you take advantage of this and carry out certain processes at the same time and in the same sequence every day. This helps you get the most out of yourself and be even more productive. This approach is not only helpful in the morning when you start the day, but also when you get to bed after a demanding day full of meetings and exercise, when you need to recharge your batteries and start the necessary regeneration . This is where time changes massively interfere. Before we talk about the negative effects on your biorhythm, let's briefly explain what time changes actually are.
Every calendar year, the clocks are changed twice: once in the first quarter and once in the last quarter. At the beginning of the year, daylight saving time begins, and the clocks are moved forward one hour. At the end of the year, the whole process reverses, and winter time begins, with the clocks being turned back one hour.
Can't seem to remember which way the clock hands move during the clock change? We have a super easy-to-remember tip for you that'll help you remember it in no time: Just think about patio furniture! When summer arrives and it finally gets warmer, you move it out of the shed and onto the patio. The clocks go forward an hour, and you "lose" an hour, and the day or night gets shorter. When it gets uncomfortable and cold again, you bring the deck chair and tables back inside, the clocks go back an hour, and you "gain" an extra hour. Easy, right?
Take-home message #1: The clocks change twice a year in Germany, always on the last weekend in March (daylight saving time) and in October (winter time). The clocks are set either forward one hour (March) or backward one hour (October). This can disrupt the circadian rhythms of sensitive individuals.
2. Why was it introduced?
Today, the clocks change uniformly twice a year in Europe and the member states of the European Union (EU). The idea behind this is that the change in time allows for better use of daylight in summer, thus reducing energy consumption and resulting in lower costs for households. However, studies show that these economic considerations only provide a real advantage in the short term: Due to the fact that heating is demonstrably more frequent at the beginning and end of the year and the increasing use of energy-saving light bulbs, the advantage quickly disappears. Furthermore, particularly sensitive people regularly experience problems with the time change on a biological level, which we will examine in more detail in the following section.
Take-home message #2: The original motivations for introducing daylight saving time are no longer valid. We save energy, thanks in part to other measures, and the change in time itself demonstrably has no effect on this. Therefore, criticism of daylight saving time has become increasingly louder. This year (2018) will likely be the last time we change our clocks to winter time, assuming the EU Commission quickly follows the vote of EU citizens, who voted in favor of abolishing daylight saving with an overwhelming majority of 80 percent.
3. How does the time change affect people?
For years, a passionate debate on the topic has flared up regularly, not only due to doubts about the economic viability of daylight saving time, with the central demand to abolish the winter/summer time change. But there are also some compelling arguments on a subjective-physiological level for agreeing on a time. Doctors, in particular, repeatedly point out how severely people with problems falling asleep and staying asleep are affected by the time change.
The clock's clock hands cause them to experience a condition comparable to jet lag , also known as "social jet lag," which can also be caused by shift work [1]. This results in them becoming very tired and sluggish during the day, becoming irritable, struggling with concentration, and possibly experiencing difficulties metabolizing food. In short: they develop stress , which negatively impacts the body and inhibits mental and physical performance because their biological clock is out of sync.
Lahti and colleagues investigated in a Finnish study how strongly the chronobiology of individuals can be influenced by daylight saving time. They found that the regular change in time affects sleep quality. Depending on your chronotype , your biological rhythm, also known as your circadian rhythm, can be confused at least once a year and throw you off track for a few days [2]. This can have serious consequences: Even the increased frequency of road accidents has been linked to the daylight saving time. And it turns out that long-term correlations are measurable. A long-term study by Varughese and Allen showed that within a 21-year observation period, the lack of sleep caused by the daylight saving time did lead to a demonstrable increase in fatal traffic accidents in the USA [3].
Reduced regeneration at night also affects the likelihood of suffering a work-related accident. Wagner and Barnes demonstrated in their study that significantly more work-related accidents occurred around the time change at the beginning of the year than usual. According to their measurements, the number of workplace accidents increases by 5.7 percent with 40 minutes less sleep [4].
Take-home message #3: The time change from daylight saving time to winter time and vice versa throws the body's internal clock off sync and can be accompanied by jet lag-like effects. Fatigue, irritability, and difficulty concentrating, as well as an increase in accidents, can occur more frequently.
4. What can you do to avoid being thrown off balance by the clock change?
If you're one of those people who reacts sensitively to the change in their routine, you can do something to better prepare yourself shortly before the time change. For example, the following "hacks" are recommended to boost your well-being (change from daylight saving time to winter time):
Adjust your evening routine two or three days before the upcoming time change and move your dinner and bedtime forward a bit. Often, just half an hour is enough.
I also get up a little earlier than usual in the morning to prepare.
Eat lighter and not too much before going to bed to avoid putting too much strain on your body during the night with digestive activities and possibly waking you up [5].
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Watching a movie in the evening delays the body's production of the natural sleep hormone melatonin even further [6]. Caution: It's better to read a book or do gentle yoga exercises about 1-1.5 hours before bedtime to actually sleep well through the night.
If you can't get enough rest in the evening to recharge your batteries, you can also use dietary supplements like ourSLEEP SPRAY . The melatonin it contains is absorbed through the oral mucosa within 20 minutes and contains no sugar, so it can be taken even after brushing your teeth.
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Take-home message #4: Supplements can help you when the clocks change from daylight saving time to winter time and vice versa. Additionally, you can relieve the strain on your body before and during the time change with small, helpful lifestyle hacks.
Episode 55 | No more daylight saving time blues - Fabian Foelsch
5. Abolish daylight saving time – When will the clock change finally end?
In 2018, the European Commission launched a major survey among member states on whether daylight saving time should be abolished. And lo and behold, the majority clearly supported its abolition. How this will be implemented in concrete terms in individual countries remains to be seen. Member states are invited to state their preference for daylight saving time or winter time by April 2019. In Germany, the majority favors permanent daylight saving time.
Take-home message #5: Will changing the clocks still be necessary starting in 2019? The biennial back-and-forth movement will most likely be abolished starting next year. The German government is highly unlikely to abolish daylight saving time, judging by the poll results. This means that Germany will most likely observe daylight saving time in winter as well.
Conclusion
Don't let the time change drain your energy! If you prepare for the clock's hectic pace in advance with our simple tricks and tips, and give your body the rest it needs to adjust its circadian rhythm, you'll quickly be back on top of your projects and ready to deliver. You can also receive further useful information on concentration, well-being, energy, and sleep via our newsletter. Simply sign up and get more out of yourself!
The foundation for more energy is a balanced approach to tension and relaxation. Want to know what you can do for more power or better recovery? Would you like personalized product recommendations and coaching tips on mental and physical performance based on your personal goals? Then start our free Performance Coach now.
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Studies:
[1] Schenk Maren (2012) German Medical Weekly. P. 2139. Internal clock and daylight saving time .
[2] Lahti L, Lönnqvist P (2008) Stanford University, CA, Stanford, USA. BMC Physiology. Transitions into and out of daylight saving time compromise sleep and the rest-activity cycles. [ https://bmcphysiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/14726793-8-3 ]
[3] Varughese A (2001) National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland. Sleep Med. pp. 31-36. Fatal accidents following changes in daylight savings time: the American experience. [ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11152980dopt=Abstract ]
[4] Barnes W (2009) Michigan State University, MI, USA. Journal of Applied Psychology. pp. 1305-1317. Changing to Daylight Saving Time Cuts into sleep and increases workplace injuries. [ https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/apl9451317.pdf ]
[5] St-Onge M.-P, Mikic A, Pietrolungo C.E (2016) Columbia University, New York, USA. Advances in Nutrition. Effects of Diet on Sleep Quality. [ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5015038/ ]
[6] Tosini G, Ferguson I, Tsubota K (2016) Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA. Molecular Vision. Effects of blue light on the circadian system and eye physiology. [ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4734149/ ]
You can find further studies on the ingredients we use here .
