I don't know about you, but something about 4 pm sunsets makes me want to crawl under a duvet and binge-watch Sex And The City episodes with a cup of tea in hand. If your energy dips the moment the clocks go back, you’re not imagining it. When daylight hours shorten, our bodies and brains take a hit, from sluggish moods and disrupted sleep to a sharp drop in motivation to move.
The clocks going back marks more than just an extra hour in bed; it throws our circadian rhythm - the body’s 24-hour internal clock - slightly off balance. According to Dr Suzanne Wylie, GP and medical adviser for IQdoctor, “The shift to darker evenings can trick the brain into thinking it’s later than it really is, leading to earlier releases of melatonin, the hormone that promotes sleep. It usually takes a few days for the body to recalibrate, which can leave us feeling more fatigued in the meantime.”
