Daylight Saving Time comes every year without fail, yet it always manages to surprise me. Somehow I just can’t seem to grasp the concept of the sun setting at 4 p.m. It feels cruel to lose those precious daylight hours, and it definitely takes a toll on my body.
I feel more tired and irritable.
It's harder for me to find the energy to exercise and leave the house.
Worst of all, it's dark out by the time my workday ends.
What I didn’t know until recently is how universal this mood shift is.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, five percent of people suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), otherwise known as seasonal depression, with symptoms lasting up to 40% of the year. That’s nearly five months (!) of less energy, lower concentration, and less motivation. Even your appetite feels the difference.
Less daylight means more and longer melatonin production, which is probably why you struggle to stay awake in the evenings when it’s pitch black out. Some people are even subject to migraines during this season. And it’s also not just a matter of adjusting for a couple of days. The symptoms and physical effects can last months.
Women already go through so many hormonal changes in just a 30-day period, but many of us know how much deeper that gets in the fall and winter. Women are four times more likely to get diagnosed with SAD than men.
So what does the time change mean for women?
Let There Be light
Men are pretty stable creatures. Their main hormone, testosterone, usually stays steady throughout the month, and they recover their energy pretty quickly.
Women, on the other hand, are extremely intricate and delicate. It’s not just the moon and tides that affect us; it’s just about everything from the environment to light exposure.
Daylight Saving Time might seem like only an hour difference in your schedule, but the effects of those 60 minutes are enough to throw off your circadian rhythm, or your inner clock, for at least a few days. The continuous lack of sunlight disrupts that rhythm much deeper, with research showing it goes so far as to shift your entire menstrual cycle. That same research shows that higher melatonin levels can potentially lower estrogen and increase progesterone and cortisol.
We know that women’s hormones ebb and flow depending on the phase of their cycle, their environment, their diet, and their stress factors (the list goes on). Unfortunately, there’s not enough research in women's health to prove the exact effect Daylight Saving Time has on your hormones.
But if you’re tired of pushing through the sluggishness that comes with early nightfall, there are practical ways to embrace the season without sinking into despair when the sun starts to set.
Live By Your Body, Not Your Expectations
The first may be the most practical, and it’s to avoid treating fall and winter like spring and summer. Your body functions best in the sunlight, and it feels good to be busy in summertime.
But you don’t need to maintain your productivity levels and pack activities into every moment just to keep the good times rolling.
Shift your mentality from I need to stay as busy and active as I was before to I need to listen to my body this season, and there’ll be less pressure to keep up with a lifestyle that just doesn’t feel as good as it did a few weeks ago.
It doesn’t help that Winter Arc and The Great Lock-In content—trends involving high discipline in winter—become especially trendy during this time of year. We want to build next summer’s body and maintain last summer’s muscle so badly that we don't know which exercise is the right one. Physical activity is definitely important and beneficial in the winter, but with the early darkness, keeping up with your workout schedule isn’t easy when your body thinks it’s time for bed.
Instead of pushing heavy cardio and HIIT when you’re not at your most energetic, opt for lower-impact exercise like yoga, restorative Pilates, or strength training. After all, some movement is always better than none.
Sadly, it also needs to be said that walking or running outside in the evenings should be done with a friend or with safety precautions.
Ah, life as a woman.
It’s also not just the extra holiday cookies and seasonal lattes that might have your midsection expanding in winter.
Sunlight isn’t just an alarm clock; it even influences our metabolism. One study found that spending the day in artificial light, as opposed to natural light, worsened blood sugar.
Research also shows that the reliance on artificial light in the absence of its natural counterpart contributes to pancreatic issues and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, and Type 2 diabetes in the long run.
It’s tough to work around an uncontrollable factor like a sunset, but one way to combat an attack on your metabolism is to eat according to the seasons. Winter brings hearty veggies like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, winter squash, leeks, walnuts, and pumpkins, most of which are interestingly more beneficial when consumed cooked than raw.
Nutritionists say cooking these starchy and fibrous veggies breaks down the chemical compounds for better digestion, plus it unlocks the nutrients to make them easier for your body to absorb than if they were raw.
They don’t call it soup season for nothing!
Getting a good night’s sleep might seem impossible when the night goes on forever, but it couldn’t be more true. Now is the time to carve out a slow nighttime routine and prioritize eight hours of sleep. Sunrise alarm clocks and SAD lamps help mimic sunlight, but the better option would be to spend time absorbing real Vitamin D in the mornings.
While we want to maximize our schedule in the summer, winter should really be used to slow down and recharge. Trying to force yourself to stay productive in the evening will lead to you running on empty.
Catch up on your spooky books.
Start decorating your tree too soon.
Pick up a hobby you can be bad at.
However you choose to spend your winter, the slower the better.