This weekend the clocks will roll back, signalling the end of daylight saving time and the start of long, dark winters. Of course, there is the short-term perk: the fact it allows us an extra hour in bed before our alarms sound — but experts warn that it’s not great news for your body, both in so far as it affects your internal clock and for the fact we have to adjust to those aforementioned pitch-black mornings.
Yes, it’s only 60 minutes, but as Maz Packham, a nutritionist and consultant for W-Wellness explains: “The clocks changing can impact our circadian rhythm, the body’s natural internal clock that regulates the sleep-wake cycle.” Its function is far-reaching and it is linked to “key functions such as sleep, mood and metabolism,” she adds.
The reason the autumn time change (on 27 October this year) might be more strongly felt than its summer sister because of the dreaded darkness it brings to mornings — and our need for natural light to feel awake. “The circadian rhythm is primarily driven by exposure to light and darkness, helping to align bodily functions with the environment, such as feeling awake during daylight and tired at night,” says Packham.
Aptly, the feeling resulting from changes to our sleep schedule necessitated by the clocks changing is known as social jet lag. Max Kirsten, known as The Sleep Coach, working out of London’s Knightsbridge, explains it will begin to “affect us from the next night onwards. You won’t usually feel tired until about an hour later than usual due to the change in time“.
So, how can you avoid the not-so-fun side-effects of throwing your circadian rhythm out of whack? The experts share the easy changes to get your body back on track.
Slowly adjust your bedtime
To help your circadian rhythm to adjust try “gradually changing your sleep schedule by shifting your bedtime and wake time”. Packham adds: “For example, you could shift your bedtime earlier by an extra 15 minutes each day in the lead up to the clock change — it’s a gradual shift but will help reduce the impact of the time change on your sleep pattern.”
Keep a sleep routine
Our bodies love routine, and to restore equilibrium, shifting your pre-bed rituals earlier (or establishing some new healthy ones) will help signal to your body that it’s time to sleep. Read: relaxing, decompressing activities.
Packham suggests things as simple as a “warm bath with Epsom salts, your skincare routine, a meditation while laying on your bed, or journalling”. However, she presses that they must be done repeatedly night after night to give your body the cue.
In terms of meditation, if you feel anxious at bedtime, you could try the 4-7-8 technique while lying in bed. Breathing in for four seconds, holding for seven seconds and slowly breathing out for eight seconds has a calming effect, due to being a type of pranayama, which is the practice of breath regulation.
Supplement with magnesium
If you’re struggling more than usual to drift off, then adding more magnesium into your diet or supplementing with it could help. “Magnesium is an essential mineral that the body doesn’t make so you have to get it through food or supplementation, it’s also depleted in times of stress, can help support muscle relaxation, improves sleep and can support mood,’ says Packham. It also increases the amount of sleep-inducing melatonin.
Taking a quality magnesium glycinate supplement (look for one without bulkers or sugars such as Nutri Advanced, £21.95, nutriadvanced.co.uk) half an hour before bed, may also have the added benefits of helping to increase serotonin levels and promote relaxation.
In the daytime, adding dark leafy greens like spinach and kale, nuts and seeds or almonds will improve your intake of magnesium through diet.
If you want to create a new ritual, a warm cup of Ancient + Brave True Night Cap (£24, ancientandbrave.earth) combines magnesium with zinc, which has myriad benefits including boosting your brain, metabolic, and immune health; and choline, which is a nutrient that helps your circadian rhythm function. Or after a warm shower, try Alexandra Kay's Time to Restore Magnesium Lotion (£40 for 200ml, greenpeople.co.uk), which is a nourishing formula and a topical way to soothe and relax muscles with magnesium.
Avoid sleep-spoilers
Plenty of modern habits have a tendency to sabotage our sleep by suppressing our body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. These include exposure to tech and specifically blue light, as well as having caffeine close to bedtime. It’s recommended not to drink any after 2pm.
As for the blue light, which Packham explains is omitted from your phone, iPad and TV, this “can disrupt our natural sleep-wake cycle by suppressing melatonin production, the hormone that signals to the body it’s time to sleep, which makes it harder to fall asleep, further disrupting the circadian rhythm”.
So, a good rule of thumb to try omitting it from your routine, along with other sleep-spoilers, is the 3-2-1 technique. That is: no food three hours before bed, no drinks two hours before bed and no exposure to tech or screen time three hours before bed. At the very least, try turning down the brightness or hitting night mode on your phone.
As for those newly darker mornings, if they’re making you feel a little off, or even affecting your health more significantly, here are a few techniques that might help you get your mojo back on track this autumn.
Get outside whatever the weather, or invest in a SAD lamp
Daylight signals to your body that it’s time to wake up, as “sunlight in the morning suppresses the sleepiness chemical adenosine, as well as the last traces of melatonin in the body from the night before”, explains Kirsten. But if you’re waking up to darkness, you’re going to struggle to feel wide awake.
Packham explains that modern tech has disrupted our natural cycle which can have a negative effect on our mood. “We all need to recognise the benefits of sunlight before blue light (exposure to natural daylight before a day in front of our laptops), not only does it enhance the production of serotonin, the neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood, but it also plays a role in melatonin production later in the day, which helps promote sleep.”
Seeking out bright light before being inside for the day at the office is integral for your circadian rhythm, so Kirsten encourages you to get outside, whatever the weather. He also suggests having a warm shower ending with a blast of cold to wake up the body. Packham adds that “getting outside within an hour of waking” is the ideal timeframe to “help reset the sleep-wake cycle and minimise disruption caused by the clocks going back an hour”.
If you have to wake up very early for work and this isn’t possible, then a SAD lamp is a great alternative to place in your bedroom as it simulates sunlight.
As a natural way to make up for depleted serotonin, Packham suggests optimising the intake of oily fish such as salmon and sardines, or adding a high-quality daily supplement such as the Bare Biology Omega 3 capsules (£31.95, w-wellness.co.uk) to top up.
