SYNC your BODY

A change of seasons means in our daily patterns too - here's how to make it work for you

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Sunny mornings and lighter evenings are what many of us look forward to when British Summer Time begins. But the shift from winter weather can have a big impact - not only on our daily habits, but on our health too. 'The first week after the clock change - when an hour of sleep is lost - is associated with increased irritability, daytime fatigue, heart attacks and even mental health problems,' says Russell Foster, director of the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute at the University of Oxford. And, as many of us are already not getting enough sleep, this can make us vulnerable to these problems for months.

But fear not: there are plenty of easy lifestyle tweaks you can adopt to make the transition into spring and summer feel easier. Here, our experts reveal how to successfully change your habits with the seasons.

Running like CLOCKWORK

Feeling sleepier than usual right now? Your circadian rhythm could be out of sync.

BODY RHYTHM

‘Circadian rhythms are controlled by circadian clocks, which are present in almost every organ and cell,’ explains Dr Satchin Panda, author of The Circadian Code (£16.99, HB, Vermilion). ‘These set the timing for different bodily processes, including the sleep-wake cycle, digestion, metabolism, body temperature and hormone production, plus immune, muscle and brain function.

Our circadian rhythm does not cope well with change, but this is unavoidable when spring arrives and it stays lighter longer. ‘We can struggle to feel sleepy when it’s time for bed, and not feel awake enough to get up when it’s morning,’ says Dr Lindsay Browning at Trouble Sleeping.

This feeling can last for weeks – or even months. ‘We may feel sluggish when we wake because our circadian rhythm thinks we should still be sleeping, and we may feel too alert in the evening to go to bed on time.’