CelinaGThe clock is set forward by one hour on the last Sunday of March.
In Germany and many other Western European countries, clocks will be set forward by one hour on Sunday night – from 2:00 to 3:00., heralding the start of “summertime”.
Whether you like it or not, you have to get used to this time change. But how does it affect us? What are the effects of moving our clocks? And what can we do to cope with this?
According to the DAK survey -a German health insurer- , women are more likely than men to say they have already experienced problems with the time change.
Time changeover affects women more than men
Three quarters of those surveyed survived the changeover without health problems. Nevertheless, the majority of Germans reject the turning of the clock.
74 percent are convinced that the changeover is superfluous and should be abolished. However, 23 percent of participants want to keep the change between summer and winter time.
According to researchers, the problems with health and well-being would not disappear with a switch to year-round daylight saving time. On the contrary, the likelihood of diabetes, depression, sleep problems and learning difficulties, among other things, would increase.
This is shown by the example of Russia, where an attempt has already been made to introduce daylight saving time permanently. After complaints from the population, they finally switched to permanent winter time. But even this is a problem for some Russian citizens.
“Winter time” or the standard time is in line with health
Most experts in European countries are in favour of year-round winter time or standard time. This is most in line with the healthy sleep-wake rhythm and natural light influences.
The time change affects many people’s moods. The discussion about abolishing the time change therefore often also focuses on the health aspect.
One in four people suffers from complaints during the changeover, as a survey conducted by the German health insurer DAK in March 2020 showed. More than half of those affected complain of sleep problems. Concentration problems and depressive moods are also common.
Adjust your schedule
1. Get up earlier
The clock is set forward by one hour, which means that you have to get up earlier in the morning and go back to bed later at night for a few days. Why? Because your body will be asleep for longer, and you will feel tired during the day. But this is exactly what you should do anyway: Get up earlier and go to bed later.
2. Avoid napping
Avoid napping or sleeping in between the time changes, since this can cause problems with your sleep rhythm, which can lead to health problems in general. Instead of sleeping during the day, try going out for walks or doing sports activities instead of having a nap. If you absolutely have to have a nap, do it right before switching over to daylight saving time so that you won’t be sleeping in when it’s still dark outside.
3. Eat well
Eating well during daylight saving time helps to prevent many health problems related to the changeover period. This includes avoiding too much sugar and caffeine because both can disturb sleep patterns and make it harder for you to fall asleep at night (which can make you tired during the day).
Hope these tips are useful, let me know in comments, how you cope with this rather odd German custom.
