Updated: 20.15 | Published: 19.49
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Tonight the clock is reset and we enter the dark time of winter. This means an extra hour of sleep – but for sensitive people, sleep can be disrupted. “It’s like getting jet lag,” says sleep researcher Jenny Theorell-Haglöw.
The last weekend in October is here and that means, as usual, that the clock is set. This weekend we turn the clock back to normal or winter time, as it is also called. It means an hour of extra sleep, but can affect us for several days.
“You can be affected for up to a week to some extent. It can be especially important for some people to think about,” says sleep researcher Jenny Theorell-Haglöw, who is an associate professor at the department of medical sciences at Uppsala University.
Not only can it feel depressing with total darkness already in the afternoon, it can also affect sleep negatively. To avoid that, there is above all one thing that most people can influence.
“Pull up the blinds and make sure there is light in the morning. It is a trigger for the system. When light comes on, it signals alertness. Go out for the morning or lunch. It is the case that our sleep rhythm is precisely controlled by light and darkness,” says Theorell-Haglöw.
She explains that this can make it easier to be tired when it’s time for bed.
Full moon same day
Not only that the clock is changed during the weekend. Just a few hours earlier, the full moon falls – many experience this as absolutely crucial for sleep.
“After all, there is a significant percentage of people who generally experience more discomfort during a full moon. But it is very individual,” says Jenny Theorell-Haglöw.
The official time when the full moon falls is Saturday evening between 22 and 24. Whether it is a myth or there is some truth in its influence on sleep, there is no consensus in the research.
Huh? How was it again?
Not only can it feel depressing with total darkness already in the afternoon, it can also affect sleep negatively. To avoid that, there is above all one thing that most people can influence.
“Pull up the blinds and make sure there is light in the morning. It is a trigger for the system. When light comes on, it signals alertness. Go out for the morning or lunch. It is the case that our sleep rhythm is precisely controlled by light and darkness,” says Theorell-Haglöw.
She explains that this can make it easier to instead be tired when it’s time to go to bed.
Jenny Theorell-Haglöw, Associate Professor at the Department of Medical Sciences at Uppsala University and Secretary of SFSS, Swedish Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine.
FACTS
3 tips for better sleep
For those who suffer from sleep problems, there are several classic tips that you should not forget, according to sleep expert Jenny Theorell-Haglöw.
– We usually feel best if we don’t differentiate between weekdays and weekends, but stick to roughly the same times and not shift the circadian rhythm. Doing so is like traveling between time zones.
– It should be cool and that you can have darkness in your room. You should not expose yourself to light too late in the evening. It’s a trigger.
– Maybe you shouldn’t use the bed for everything you do. If you eat, work, watch TV and then go to sleep there. Then the brain may find it difficult to connect sleep to sleep alone.
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Photo: Naina Helén Jåma/TT