Daylight saving has been a bit of a hot topic for a while. When it comes around, there’s always the debate about whether we should have it and how much it messes so many of us up! No matter how excited you are for summer or how much you are dreading winter, daylight saving can have a huge effect on your sleep schedule, especially if you have little ones. Young children have a lower tolerance for sleep deprivation than adults, and the change in sleep patterns and timing can affect a child’s attention span, appetite, and overall mood. No matter your age, it is not a nice feeling waking up tired, dull, lacklustre, and unrefreshed for the day ahead. The good news is you can help bring your body back into balance if you know what to do. Here are our top tips to help your body and mind move seamlessly through the daylight saving challenges..
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目录
1.走出家门
When the days get longer OR shorter, make the most of the available sunlight and get outdoors. Our hormones need to get cues from the sun throughout the day no matter what the weather. Our hormones and circadian rhythm need to know what time of day and what season it is. Watching the sunrise triggers a daily hormone cascade, which is essential for optimum health. The melatonin and cortisol balance is especially influenced by the early morning sunlight. Small amounts of cellular melatonin is made all day in our cells via exposure to infrared light from the sun, and then more melatonin is released by the pineal gland as darkness falls at night. Melatonin is our body’s sleep hormone, but it is also a powerful antioxidant that supports vitamin D utilisation.
So, sound sleep starts with the sunrise. Keep this basic routine throughout the year by shifting your waking and sleeping times to fit the times that the sun rises, NOT the time of day. This means that your circadian rhythm will not panic when the clocks are set back or forward at the change of daylight saving. You may need to get up earlier and go to bed an hour earlier during the autumn changeover. In the spring changeover, this will go the other way. This may be challenging for those with set times for jobs, school, etc., so look to #2 on this list, “Control the light,” for tips on how to limit bright light when it is dark in the morning or at night. Even if you do need to “stick with the clock” for work in the morning, going to bed an hour earlier in the autumn will help you to cope with getting up the next day.
With children, it is important to create a routine that will help them get to sleep. This should carry them into a healthy adulthood. Take them for a bike ride or a walk in the evening during the summer; this will balance their mood so that they will be happier going to bed. Involve them in the sunrise and sunset watching to support their hormones as they grow and develop.
At least 30 minutes of sun exposure is recommended in New Zealand: in the summer, this should be in the late afternoon or early morning when the sunshine is less intense. In the winter, this can be any time of day. The infrared and UVA light are especially important for your hormones, etc. Your exposure time depends on how sensitive your skin is to sunlight, but in the summer, the early morning sunlight can make your skin more resilient to midday sunlight, and late afternoon sunlight supports skin recovery! In the warmer months, sunlight is, of course, a source of vitamin D—a natural mood, sleep, immune, and bone support! It is thought that 27 percent of people are below the recommended blood level of Vitamin D. Some health issues increase the need for Vitamin D. Only UVB light can trigger the conversion of D3, and it is only present in the middle part of the day at certain times of the year. An app like D-Minder can help you find the appropriate time for safe sun exposure and vitamin D production.
Exposure to natural light does not mean you have to sit under the hot sun and burn. Even being in the shade, you will be getting signals into your eyes from the light bouncing around the place.
2.控制光线
This follows on from #1…Getting outside as much as you can during the day is all very well, but what do you do at night when all the artificial lights are on?
Melatonin increases as the sun goes down, inducing sleep, and decreases as the sun rises and cortisol levels increase, which “wakes” us up. It is important to avoid bright light and blue light after sunset, or before sunrise if you have to get up early for work or school. You can use orange bulbs, candles, and blue light-blocking glasses, and avoid devices and TV. This becomes all the more important in the winter when darkness hours are longest.
In the summer it can be confusing for children when we ask them to go to bed when the sun is still up, especially as their melatonin levels are likely not at optimal levels. To help melatonin increase naturally, ask them to help pull all the curtains around the areas they spend time in before bed and turn a dim, orange/red light on in these areas. Ensure that all electronics and devices are off an hour before bed, as the blue light exposure, as well as the brain stimulation from what they’re watching, can reduce melatonin. In the morning, ensure children get natural light around sunrise: have breakfast outside, go for a walk around the block before school, or simply ensure curtains and windows are opened as soon as they wake up. Window glass blocks the full spectrum light from the sun.
3.补充镁元素
镁 nourishes the nervous system and supports relaxation, helping melatonin support healthy sleep/wake cycles in the body. As the modern, ultra-processed diet is often deficient in magnesium, it is important that we focus on eating whole foods and magnesium-rich foods or supplement the diet. Great food sources of magnesium include whole milk products, fish, shellfish, and poultry. Even red meat has a good amount of bioavailable magnesium. Ensure your family is having a variety of these foods throughout the day, and especially in the evening, to help induce sleep. Some of the highest dietary sources of magnesium are from nuts and seeds, particularly almonds, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, cashew nuts, and pumpkin seeds; however, the minerals in plant seeds—nuts, seeds, beans, and grains—are bound to compounds that prevent the seed from germinating too early and so are less available to human digestion and absorption. Soaking and activating can mitigate this, but it is best not to rely on the seeds of plants for all of your minerals.
4.使用草药疗法
Passionflower, California poppy, chamomile, lemon balm, and lavender are some of the herbs we can use to support sleep. These herbs can be used throughout the day without causing drowsiness but will help at sleepytime and support children to stay asleep throughout the night. Take as a supplement or use fresh or dried herbs in a tea. Lavender essential oil can be sprayed on pillows or used in a bath to help relax the body and the mind before bed.
Daylight saving does not go without a few days of transition. In the first few days, try to be more forgiving, as it is likely children will be overtired and frustrated. Understanding that this is temporary will help them to adjust better. The main thing to keep in mind is that a good bedtime routine ensures that little children get plenty of shut-eye, even if this means they have longer naps during the day. And just as children have a hard time adjusting, adults do too, so don’t forget to look after yourself! All these tips can be applied to Mum and Dad alike, so practice them with your children and help the whole family adjust, seamlessly.
常见问题
夏令时对睡眠模式和整体健康有什么影响？
夏令时会改变人体的自然昼夜节律，从而扰乱睡眠模式，导致入睡或起床困难。这种干扰会导致睡眠不足、疲劳，并增加发生事故和健康问题的风险。
镁如何帮助支持健康的睡眠/觉醒周期？
镁在支持健康的睡眠/觉醒周期方面发挥着至关重要的作用。它能支持神经系统，让人更好地放松并支持睡眠。此外，镁的缺乏与睡眠问题有关，因此确保摄入充足的镁可以提高睡眠质量和整体睡眠健康。
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