How does a time change affect our biorhythms?

A summary explanation of the impact that changing the time has on our biorhythms.

The time change, especially in March, is a very disruptive time of the year. After months of getting up, going to sleep and doing our chores respecting more or less fixed schedules, a weekend comes and we move the clock forward one hour.

Although there are two, March and October, it is the one that starts the summer time that we all have the most crossed because it is just that day when 2 o'clock is 3 o'clock and, therefore, we have to get up an hour earlier. There is sleepiness, tiredness and moodiness.

The way in which the time change affects our biorhythms is something that many of us have surely experienced in our own flesh.Now science has confirmed it, as well as putting into controversy the need for this practice to supposedly save energy. Let's go deeper into the debate.

How does the time change influence our biorhythms and associated psychological processes?

The time change, both in October and March, is that time of year that throws our schedules a little (or a lot) out of whack. It is not fair to talk about both using the same yardstick, because the truth is that, at least in Spain, the October time change is very much loved while the March one is seen as a bad thing, a time change that we cannot escape from and that, fortunately, we are lucky enough to have on a weekend.

In the case of Spain, the controversy over the time change cannot be understood without understanding the controversy over our own time zone.. Spain uses GMT+1 on the peninsula, while the Canary Islands use GMT. Spain uses the same system as Central Europe, but not that of neighboring Portugal or the United Kingdom, which are almost between the same parallels.

The fact that Spain has a time zone closer to Berlin and not to Portugal, despite the fact that it has a region (Galicia) just north of the Portuguese country, has prevented the debate on the need to change time zone from being closed. Among the arguments used to defend and attack the status quo, the sunshine hours, the alteration of biorhythms already well established in the population and the possible economic problems associated with it are widely used.

But let's focus exclusively on the time change. This practice was introduced in Europe at the time of the First World War, a time when the traditional sundials had already been left far behind. With the widespread use of mechanical clocks, which worked regardless of the hours when the sun deigned to appear in the sky, the way of managing the population's time was not in accordance with the hours when there was sunlight.

It was for this reason that it was decided to strategically change the time twice a year, at times when the change meant taking advantage of the hours of sunlight. Thus, with the October time change we wake up an hour later because the sun rises later, while in March we have to wake up an hour earlier because the sun is rising earlier and earlier. The time change fulfills its main purpose, to maximize exposure to the sun's daylight hours..

But although this advantage is fulfilled, the other arguments used to defend its use have been questioned. It has always been said that these schedule changes allow savings, under the logic that if we have working and leisure schedules in hours when there is always sunlight we use less electricity. This idea, however, has long since been called into question, with both the European Commission itself and the Spanish Electricity Grid indicating that these supposed savings, if they exist, are minimal.

Given the decreasing evidence that it really serves to save, many have questioned whether this time change is really useful or whether it would be better if Spain (and any other country in the same situation) decided to apply a time zone adapted to its geographical condition without having to change the time twice a year. The reason for this is that, in a world where chronobiology is gaining importance, it is becoming clear how the time change affects our biorhythms..

Alteration of biorhythms

But what are biorhythms? It is often said that our organism has a kind of internal clock that tells it what it is a kind of internal clock that tells it what to do and when to do it.. This clock is the one that "warns" us when we have to go to sleep, making us feel more tired when the night approaches and more alert when there are more hours of sunlight. It is what makes us have established schedules in a totally natural way and is closely related to circadian cycles.

As the months go by, these biorhythms become more and more established, making us totally accustomed to our routine. The problem with the time change is that there is no "natural" way to warn our internal clock that what yesterday was 2 o'clock today is 3 o'clock and that, therefore, it has to move forward one hour. As it continues with the pre-established schedules, even though the change is minimal, our brain is maladapted and feels a kind of "jet lag".

This jet lag is especially noticeable during the summer change, i.e. the one that makes us lose an hour.. Our body has to get used to doing things an hour earlier than it used to do, which often results in a loss of sleep during the first few days, which is one of the main effects of the time change. With this we also feel tiredness and fatigue, as well as a certain disorientation.

Although the time change rarely involves serious problems, it should be said that certain complications may occur depending on how sensitive the person is to the change and how disrespectful he or she has been to the new timetable. Some people suffer from problems such as stomach problems, mood swings, loss of concentration and, if the loss of sleep is very severe, headaches and migraines.

Contrary to one of the main reasons why it is applied, which is that the time change translates into greater savings and higher productivity, the truth is that taking into account the effects of the alteration of the biorhythm everything seems to indicate just the opposite. Company workers feel more tired during the two weeks following the March changeover, with a higher risk of accidents and lower productivity..

How noticeable the alteration of these biorhythms is depends a lot on each person, but it must be said that age is one of the most important factors. Children, adolescents and older people tend to be the ones who notice it the most, especially babies and those over 50 years old, being the change of March the hardest to adapt to. Likewise, despite the fact that it is only one hour difference, as a general rule the entire population finds it difficult to synchronize its internal clock with the new timetables.

The scientific community has gone a step further and, although it should be noted that the time change has short-term effects that are eventually overcome with the passage of time, the danger of altered circadian cycles has been known before.

An example of this can be found in the case of people who work at night or who do not sleep at the right time.The time change is a very important factor in the development of the population, being more prone to suffer from different pathologies such as diabetes, Cardiovascular diseases, obesity and also psychological problems including depression and anxiety.

And why is the time change not cancelled?

Although there is increasing evidence that the time change changes our biorhythms, cancelling it is a complicated issue, especially because it is not only a question of timetables.

Let's think about the case of Spain, where we use GMT+1. The reason why we use this time zone, apart from historical reasons, has to do with our economic relationship with France and Germany, which, if we change to a different time zone from theirs, could have repercussions on issues such as tourism and trade.

Another reason why it has not been decided to cancel it is that, although there are people who are quite affected by it, the period of adaptation to the new time zone, although uncomfortable, does not usually last more than 5 days.. While it may be annoying to have to get up an hour earlier in March, and pleasant to get up an hour later in October, as the weeks go by we end up regulating our schedules and coordinate with the rest of society and its time requirements.

There is also the fact that there are countries in which if there is no time change at all there are regions where the sun would rise at hours that would disrupt the schedules of anyone. Returning to the case of Spain, if we were to keep winter time all year round in this country, the Mediterranean coast would see sunrise at 5.00 a.m. in June, while if summer time were to continue, the Atlantic coast would not see the sunrise until 10.00 a.m. in the month of December.

In addition, we must try to see the positive side of the time change. Thanks to these two time changes per year we can enjoy more daylight hours in the afternoon.Although it has not been proven that this interferes with energy savings, it is true that the majority of the population prefers this time of the day to dedicate it to leisure and free time, a time that is more enjoyable with the sun still in the sky than in the total darkness of the night.