NSFT shares tips to help your body clock adjust to the clocks going back | News and events

With the clocks falling back on the weekend of 24 October, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust is sharing some tips on how to prepare for the change.

Without us really realising it, we (and all life on Earth) have adapted to life on a planet that spins on its own axis and revolves around a sun, giving us regular periods of light and darkness to live around.

Most physiological systems in our body behave differently to adapt to these changes between day and night. Our heart rate slows down at night, growth hormones get to work, our blood pressure and core body temperature drop, and our digestion slows down. All working in synchrony automatically. We don’t even notice it. Until the clocks change.

Unfortunately our body clock doesn’t get prior warning of this. So it feels like a shock in a way that is hard to pin down. We’re more tired. But also, everything is just a bit off.

Rebecca Rollinson, Clinical Psychologist at NSFT, says there are ways of preparing your body clock for this: “It can be confusing. As the clocks go back an hour, your body clock will still be on 7am wake up time, but your alarm clock will say 6am. Later that evening, your body clock will still be on 10pm sleep time, but your TV will say its 9pm.

“If you or your child is particularly sensitive to these changes, you can prepare your body clock so that it isn’t such an abrupt change. You could go to bed 10 to 15 minutes later each night for a few days before hand. That way, if we stick with the example above, you are already going to bed at 11pm. Once the clocks change, you will be ready for sleep at the ‘new’ 10pm.

“Most people prefer to just ride it out. In this case, the best way to re-set your body clock to match the new clock time as quickly as possible, is to get as much daylight as you can. Open your curtains as soon as you wake up and ideally get outside for your morning cuppa.

“Most importantly though, remember that if you are feeling a bit off or low - it is a very normal, physiological response that will pass over the next few days as your body clock adjusts. Take care of yourself through it and let others know if you’re struggling.”

More information on sleep and our body clock - Just One Norfolk Teen Sleep Teenage Sleep What Makes You Tick: Circadian Rhythms