Daylight saving (often incorrectly called Savings- now you know 😉) time begins at 2am on Sunday, when the clocks spring forward an hour. During daylight saving, our body is still responding to the natural cues of the world around us, specifically the light and darkness, but our daily activities are forced to fit into a new routine. The idea of DST is to maximize sunlight for the work day and decrease energy consumption in the evening, but at what impact is it to our health?
Did you know…
⏰ The workweek following “spring forward” results in a 6% spike in fatal car accidents, resulting in about 28 additional deaths per year.
⏰ The Monday following “spring forward” is associated with a 24% increase in heart attacks. Interestingly enough, during “fall forward,” where we gain an extra hour of sleep, this phenomena decreases by 21%.
⏰ Some good news: There is a 7% decrease in robberies following “spring forward,” where we gain an extra hour of daylight in the evenings.
In Chinese Medicine, our energy moves through the twelve major meridians of the body in 2 hour shifts over a 24 hour period. This means that the function of a particular organ system is strongest at a specific time of day, and weakest at the opposite time on the clock. For example the Spleen is strongest from 9-11am. This is the most ideal time to digest a large meal (breakfast), and explains why eating before bed can often result in bloating, bad dreams, or digestive issues.
How to prepare for DST:
🔆 Get Acupuncture!
🔆 Eat Sleep Foods: Almonds (magnesium, melatonin), Avocados (healthy fat, magnesium), Chickpeas (tryptophan, B6, magnesium), Dates (B6, converts tryptophan to serotonin), Tart Cherries (melatonin)
*DO NOT EAT RIGHT BEFORE BED (SEE ABOVE) allow your body at least 2 hours to digest before bedtime.
🔆 Healthy Sleep Habits: no cell phones before bed, no dozing off to the tv, no snoozing your alarm!
You can find some of my favorite sleep formulas below, and can be purchased through my Fullscript Patient Dispensary.
With Love,
Charlotte Morgan, M.S. L.Ac.
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