World News – CA – It takes longer to adjust to standard time, but it’s better for your health: sleep expert

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OTTAWA –
As Ottawa residents prepare to fall back this weekend, sleep expert suggests switching to standard time will actually be better for your health

Sleep and fatigue specialist Clint Marquardt adds that it will take you longer to adjust to the arrival of standard time on Sunday because our bodies are slower to adjust when we fall back

Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday, and clocks set back one hour in Ontario, Quebec and most of Canada

During her appearance on Newstalk 580 CFRA « The Goods » on Saturday morning, host Dahlia Kurtz asked Marquardt, what is better for the human body and our health – standard time or daylight saving time

« The human body and sleep are really inextricably linked with light and the best kind of light exposure is early morning light exposure, » Marquardt said

« I’m talking about lighting up when you wake up, like 6-7 am So keeping the time at standard time, which we’re going to do, would be much more biologically useful »

Switching to standard time means it will get lighter earlier in the morning and darker earlier in the evening

« Light at the end of the day can disrupt your sleep So in summer light until 9-10 at night is not really the best for your sleep So if we could stay at the standard time , that would be the best, ”said Marquardt

Marquardt notes that while it can be frustrating for it to be dark when you’re done with work during normal hours, it will actually help you sleep better.

« It’s best to have darkness at the end of the day, especially at night. It helps your brain tune in and start going into sleep mode, » Marquardt said

« No light or removing the light actually helps produce melatonin in your brain, whatever you want in your brain. It helps you sleep »

Sleep expert Alanna McGinn told CTV Your Morning this week that the change in fall time may lead to increased cases of depression due to fewer hours of sunshine

With the clocks set to go back one hour on Sunday mornings, Marquardt recommends slowly adjusting to the time change

“If we have the luxury of adapting our behaviors, adapting our starting times, because so many of us work from home, it would be great if you could set your clock back 15 minutes a day until you you found yourself back at the time, an hour earlier, « Marquardt said of adapting to the time change slowly on Sunday

“The challenge here is that it takes longer to adjust counterclockwise or to back up, or to travel east, so it’s much easier to follow the clock, biologically harder to come back. back So if you take more time to adjust it may help « 

Professional infant and toddler sleep consultant Erin Junker told CTVNewsOttawaca that the daylight saving time will be tough on both children and adults, and it will take everyone a few days for their body clock to work. ‘adjust

« We’re all a little offbeat, a little more excited as our body clocks adjust, but usually within a few days to a week we’re all back on track. »

Marquardt tells The Goods of Newstalk 580 CFRA that research shows the COVID-19 pandemic is causing increased stress, which increases anxiety and makes it harder to sleep. He says changing the time could lead to challenges extra for people heading into winter

“One of the things you can do to help yourself is try to sleep as well as possible, and one way to do that is to watch your daytime activities,” Marquardt said

« A great way to do this is to make sure that you are exposed to enough light during the day to basically tell your brain that day is day and night is night. »

Marquardt suggests 12 pm is a great time to soak up the sun He also recommends investing in a sunlamp, or « Happy Light, » to increase daylight exposure and help fight Seasonal Affective Disorder. p>

Ottawa West-Nepean MPP Jeremy Roberts introduced the Time Amendment Act, which would implement permanent daylight saving time in Ontario

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