Several times a year there is a time change, and this can affect us more than it seems.
That not only includes our actions and habits, but also includes the environments through which we usually move and the stimuli to which we are exposed on a daily basis. And for this reason, something as simple as the time change can affect us psychologically .
Adjusting the clocks so that they adapt to the new time does not only imply lengthening or shortening our day; it also means having to adapt physically and mentally to a change that affects us constantly, 7 days a week.
Although by itself it does not usually cause us great discomfort, it should be taken into account so that it does not add to other sources of stress and fatigue in our day to day life. Let’s see how we can identify these various ways in which the time change affects us.
The importance of the circadian rhythm
To understand why the simple time change affects us psychologically, it is necessary to know what the phenomenon known as circadian rhythm is .
It is the set of physiological and metabolic processes that allow us to adapt to the different times of the day, depending on the degree of activation that is most useful to us at each moment.
In this way, in most people the circadian rhythm means that a few hours after waking up we have a lot of energy available, reaching the peak of activation around noon and the first hours of the afternoon. Then, as we get into the sunset, we gradually deactivate, making it easier for us to relax, and at nightfall we fall asleep.
On the other hand, the circadian rhythm is not totally independent of the time of day in which we wake up, because it contributes to the fact that with the lack of light we gradually deactivate ourselves, and that with direct sunlight we become very active. It achieves this mainly through melatonin, a hormone that is secreted when we are exposed to darkness or dim environments.
And why does our circadian rhythm follow this progression, and not any other? Mainly, because we have evolved so that it has these characteristics, since in this way it helps us to survive and adapt better to our rhythm of life . If evolution had led us to be nocturnal species, the circadian rhythm would be totally different, but because of our traits it is easier for us to adapt to daytime life, and our physiological systems innately act accordingly.
How does the time change affect us?
Now that we have seen what the biological foundations of the rhythm with which we function are, let’s see how the change of time influences us psychologically.
The psychological impact of leaving work and leaving it at night
In many cases it is frustrating to leave work and it is already getting dark, just as it happens with the time change that precedes the arrival of winter. In the case of Spain, the pre-eminence of split work hours means that many people spend the hours when there is sunlight in the office.
But beyond the mood that spending most of our free time in dim light generates in us, we must also take into account how it affects our propensity to take advantage of time.
The arrival of the night tells us that what we will do next is prepare to sleep . This is so both for biological reasons (the change in melatonin levels) and for the daytime habits of most people: the night is associated with inactivity and rest.
So even though the day technically has the same 24 hours, with this time change we are more likely to see the afternoon and sunset as a slippery slope leading us to bed; that is, a time frame in which it doesn’t make much sense to start doing something that requires effort, decision-making and creativity.
Sleep routine is broken
The other main effect that the time change has on us occurs regardless of whether we adjust to winter or summer time.
It is a break with the sleep routine , although not a radical one, because in the end we have only advanced or delayed our activities by an hour. But in some cases, this may be enough to cause you to have trouble falling asleep on time or waking up at the time you need to get to work.
This problem occurs especially in children and the elderly, since this part of the population is especially sensitive to time changes.
In any case, these problems usually go away within a few days, and rarely last more than a week.
To do?
As we have seen, in most cases the simple passage of time is enough for the possible imbalances that occur in our body due to the time change to vanish. However, in some cases the discomfort can become chronic, especially if we have already been experiencing problems sleeping before, or if we suffer from work burnout.
In these cases, it is best to seek help from psychologists and doctors , to make it easier to adopt appropriate lifestyle habits.
Bibliographic references
- Antle, M.C.; Silver, R. (2009). Neural basis of timing and anticipatory behaviors. The European Journal of Neuroscience. 30(9): pp. 1643 – 1649.
- Benloucif, S.; Guico, M.J.; Reid, K.J.; Wolfe, L.F.; L’hermite-Balériaux, M.; Zee, P.C. (2005). Stability of melatonin and temperature as circadian phase markers and their relation to sleep times in humans. Journal of Biological Rhythms. 20 (2): pp. 178 – 88.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.