1. < Post-COVID Recovery & COVID-19

COVID and the end of daylight savings time

Posted by Merry, Alumni Mentor @merpreb, Oct 25, 2020

November 1st marks the end of daylight savings time or what is called "summertime". Turning our clocks back to Standard Time is supposed to make better use of natural light. Even gaining one hour of sleep messes up our circadian rhythms because is controlled by our hormones that regulate hunger, mood, and sleep. And when that gets something different it doesn't like it.

Changing back to standard time really messes up my sleep. I don't seem to get one more hour and may wake up an hour earlier. And I already feel that my times are messed up from self-isolating with my husband at our end of a dead-end street. The only thing that appears to change is the color of the leaves and when the sun rises and sets. And a lot of times I'm not even sure what day it is. It's such a weird time. This just adds to an abnormal lifestyle for me.

The times that I eat, sleep, and take my medicines will also change. The amount of natural light changes to less in the afternoons and night.  I, therefore, have less light to help with my depression and PTSD. A couple of years ago I bought a Verilux lamp that I use every morning for a half-hour. I also tend to get more migraines so this light helps to lessen those too.

Every fall I try hard to change something that will help me adjust to these changes better. I think that this year I am going to put more lights on in the house earlier to help me get going better and sooner. Maybe I'll even exercise earlier too.

What changes will you make to accommodate the changes in sleep and the disruptions that this will cause in your life?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Post-COVID Recovery & COVID-19 Support Group.

Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Oct 29, 2020
In reply to @artscaping "Hey there @merpreb and everyone. This was fun. Lots of different issues all over the place..." + (show)
@artscaping

Hey there @merpreb and everyone. This was fun. Lots of different issues all over the place depending on where you live. My farm family said it was to help the farmers get up early to milk the cows. The school folks said it was to prevent children from waiting for the bus in the dark. Now I find out from history that none of it was true.......it was a battle issue.

I laughed at what it must have been like during the time before the Uniform Act was passed with folks crossing time zones every day. Since I am a CA gal.....I still have a hard time up here in MN. Hey...here you go......now I recall....the only place I have lived where there is no need for a seasonal time change......Hawaii. We watched the 9 pm sunset most of the year thanks to the equator location.

Wherever you are......plug in a light......transfer to LEDs. Just like @merpreb......I suffer from the lack of light. My smile even turns down. Guess that's called a frown.

May you all have joy and sunshine today.
Chris

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Chris - Like you, I just turn up the light! We have skylights in the kitchen & dining room, which suffice in summer, but as the sun angle lowers, they do little. Thanks to LED's throughout the house, in the "right spectrum" (researched & chosen by my husband, so I don't know the details) I can have brightness all day, yet my power bill is lower than ever. Yesterday I was in my so-delightful sewing studio - windows on 2 sides, lights overhead, OTT light at the machine...making new, warm winter blankets for us and the littles.
Sue

REPLY
Mentor
John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Oct 30, 2020

I learned an interesting tidbit of information this morning at my Toastmasters Zoom meeting from our resident grammarian. It's not daylight "savings" time, it's daylight "saving" time. Here I've been saying it wrong my whole life...😉

REPLY
1 reply
Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Oct 30, 2020
In reply to @johnbishop "I learned an interesting tidbit of information this morning at my Toastmasters Zoom meeting from our..." + (show)
@johnbishop

I learned an interesting tidbit of information this morning at my Toastmasters Zoom meeting from our resident grammarian. It's not daylight "savings" time, it's daylight "saving" time. Here I've been saying it wrong my whole life...😉

Jump to this post

Oh, YOu are right!

REPLY
fiesty76 | @fiesty76 | Oct 31, 2020
In reply to @artscaping "Hey there @merpreb and everyone. This was fun. Lots of different issues all over the place..." + (show)
@artscaping

Hey there @merpreb and everyone. This was fun. Lots of different issues all over the place depending on where you live. My farm family said it was to help the farmers get up early to milk the cows. The school folks said it was to prevent children from waiting for the bus in the dark. Now I find out from history that none of it was true.......it was a battle issue.

I laughed at what it must have been like during the time before the Uniform Act was passed with folks crossing time zones every day. Since I am a CA gal.....I still have a hard time up here in MN. Hey...here you go......now I recall....the only place I have lived where there is no need for a seasonal time change......Hawaii. We watched the 9 pm sunset most of the year thanks to the equator location.

Wherever you are......plug in a light......transfer to LEDs. Just like @merpreb......I suffer from the lack of light. My smile even turns down. Guess that's called a frown.

May you all have joy and sunshine today.
Chris

Jump to this post

Hi, @artscaping and others, I just saw this and thought I'd share it for those of us whose smiles turn down with too much darkness: "With nearly 2,000 five-star ratings, the Lumos Lamp comes highly recommended by Amazon shoppers for everything from fixing circadian rhythm disorder to improving symptoms of depression". $40 tall & slender Luckily, living in the southwest means far more days of sunshine than in some parts of the nation but for those, like me, who experience a drop in good spirits with shorter days of sunlight, this might be worth a look.

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