Spring Forward, Not Backward: How Seasonal Changes Affect Mental Health

Spring can be an exciting time. The earth is slowly coming back to life and warmer temperatures can symbolize rebirth. Among the blooming trees and budding flowers is also the end of daylight savings. Many Americans dread this as it is inconvenient and requires an adjustment of clocks and schedules. Besides the obvious loss of an hour of sleep, there are other consequences of the time change. A shift in one hour can disrupt one’s circadian rhythm and can not only negatively affect one’s mood, but overall health may be impacted as well. Things like irritability, sadness, low energy, and trouble concentrating can also increase during this time especially if someone has depression or seasonal affective disorder (Mental Health & Coping with the end of daylight saving time, 2024). This is because circadian rhythm is largely based on light exposure. During this time, higher rates of hospital admissions, inflammatory markers, health attacks and strokes are reported (Coulson, 2023). These physical changes result in more motor accidents, lower cognitive performance and worse mental health overall (Coulson, 2023). 

In order to combat these negative effects, scientists recommend that we prepare for upcoming time changes. We can do this by going to bed 15 minutes earlier than usual, and increasing until we are adjusted for the hour difference (Ziegler, 2021). Napping is also recommended and can help ease the transition. Being mindful of how the time change can affect overall well being allows us to prepare for these changes and implement self-care. 

References

Coulson, M. (2023, March 9). 7 things to know about daylight saving time. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2023/7-things-to-know-about-daylight-saving-time

Mental Health & Coping with the end of daylight saving time. Cedar Recovery. (2024, May 2). https://www.cedarrecovery.com/resources/navigating-the-time-change/ 

Ziegler, R. (2024, February 22). How to manage Daylight Saving Time. Mayo Clinic Health System. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/how-to-manage-daylight-saving-time