The first Sunday in April marks the end of daylight saving. We get an extra hour of sleep in return for losing an hour of daylight, but as the year progresses we get progressively less daylight anyway. Depending on where you are in the country there are five to seven hours of difference in total daylight hours between June and December.
As we move through autumn, many people find it increasingly difficult to exercise. There are fewer opportunities to exercise outside after work. The additional hour of daylight in the morning is soon compensated for by the shrinking amount of total daylight. Less daylight means less vitamin D and this affects a variety of different areas of physical and mental health: bone density, immunity, disease prevention, mood and appetite.
The move from daylight saving can throw out your circadian rhythm, the 24-hour internal clock that’s running in your brain’s hypothalamus. This clock is very reliant on light for cues. A sudden change, even just an hour, can disrupt healthy hormone production. Many people experience challenges in mood, appetite and metabolic rate following the shift. It’s common to feel tired, demotivated and prone to overeating. This can happen even before the cooler hibernation weather begins.
Fortunately a good exercise regime can assist a lot. It helps regulate your confused clock by supporting the appropriate release of the hormones needed for settled sleep. You need a balance of melatonin (sleep hormone) and cortisol (stress hormone). Melatonin needs to peak at night for you to wind down and cortisol needs to peak in the morning for you to perk up. Exercise not only promotes more restful sleep, it also helps bring your internal clock back to equilibrium.
Exercise also helps with the mental grogginess associated with the shift in daylight saving. It stimulates Human Growth Hormone (HGH) which encourages the regeneration of brain cells. It also promotes the production of the four happy hormones that impact how you feel: endorphins (the euphoria hormones), serotonin (the security hormones), dopamine (the motivation hormones) and oxytocin (the bonding hormones).
The past year has been a time of many changes. Being in and out of lockdown has created many unexpected interruptions to personal and professional circumstances – some temporary and some permanent. Transitions can be challenging, particularly when it’s not a change we’d welcome if given the opportunity to choose. For many people, the conclusion of daylight saving time represents one more unfortunate development in a string of unfortunate developments.
If your exercise regime has been a casualty of the chaos, then it’s a good idea to start easing back in before the daylight saving transitions occurs. Generally the more robust your physiology the more resilient your mental stamina. As with all transitions, the best type of exercise to help you is the one you enjoy most. Just get your blood circulating; you can worry about the correct balance of strength/cardio/flexibility once you’re settled into the winter time-zone.
Your body is designed to move about during the day and sleep soundly at night. Appropriate exercise is a key foundation habit that can keep your health and wellness stable whatever is happening around you.
