Sunday, March 28, summer time returns and we will be forced to sleep an hour less. Not only that: in the morning it will be darker, and this will especially affect owls, night owls who go to bed late. But this year the small inconveniences that the change of time entails could be influenced by the new living conditions in which we find ourselves dueCovid emergency: smart-working, distance learning, more sedentary lifestyle, less social life. How will we experience this change of time? And how to minimize the impact on health? We asked a sleep medicine expert and a chronobiologist.
How many hassles for an hour of difference
But is it possible that simply by moving the hands of the clock by an hour, the body is affected? In fact, international data have verified that in addition to small sleep disturbances that pass in 3-4 days, summer time brings with it other consequences: “At the European level – he explains Roberto Manfredini, professor of internal medicine at the University of Ferrara and one of the leading experts in the field of chronobiology – it is estimated that 131 billion euros are spent per year for the effects of the time change, a figure that is reached by adding the hospitalizations for psychiatric diseases, especially in Northern Europe which in fact asked to abolish it, cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes which increase by 5% in the first week of summer time and the greater number of visits to the general practitioner for symptoms such as anxiety and irritability “. But road accidents must also be calculated:” On the Monday following the entry into force of summer time – continues the expert – there is an increase in road accidents due to the accumulated sleep debt . And, moreover, millions of missed medical visits because appointments are forgotten. “In short, an economic and social impact that is by no means negligible.
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More difficult to get used to in the spring
The most problematic shift for the organism is precisely that of spring, from solar time to summer time: “It happens because the circadian rhythm actually lasts a little more than 24 hours, as if the organism were set for a slightly longer day. This explains why the change of time zone is better tolerated when we go west, and the day gets longer, rather than when we go east “, explains Manfredini.
Covid effect on summer time
Last year we experienced the arrival of summer time in full lockdown. This year we have minor restrictions depending on where we live: according to Covid, does life make the change of time softer? “Certainly last year the problem was smoothed out because all those who worked in smart-working and the students in Dad could easily sleep a little more in the morning and get used to it more easily”, replies Manfredini. The same situation even now with the necessary distinctions based on the color of their region: “Those who live in regions that have imposed greater restrictions – explains the chronobiologist – may be less affected by the change of time because they will be able to take advantage of the time gained for not moving on workplace to sleep a little more as well as children in Dad “.
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Pandemic sleep disturbances
Unfortunately, we must also deal with the unpleasant sensations that a year or more of a pandemic are generating: anxiety, irritability, depression, stress and worries (including economic ones). All emotions that can upset sleep and make the transition to summer time more difficult. “The categories that will suffer the most from the change of time are children, very methodical people who let themselves be upset even for just an hour of difference and the elderly who often have a melatonin deficiency”, explains Manfredini. But among the subjects most sensitive to the change of time there are also those who belong to the serotine chronotype. “Some people – he explains Giuseppe Plazzi, president of the Italian Association of Sleep Medicine (Aims) – they would never go to bed at night, but they struggle to get up in the morning. They are the most disadvantaged people in catching up with the summer time also because the sleep restriction also has consequences from the point of view of mood. Particular attention should be paid to adolescents who are more fragile in this phase of the pandemic and who have a natural tendency to stay awake at night “.
The immunity of late risers
Yet, it is worthwhile to find a way to sleep well because according to a study by Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, published in the scientific journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health, insomnia and work stress would increase the chances of contracting the Coronavirus infection. The results of the research show that, for every additional hour of recovered night sleep, the possibility of getting sick decreases by 12%. Conversely, work stress would increase the risk of contracting the infection in 5.5% of cases. The data were collected by scientists at the conclusion of a trial conducted on 2,884 healthcare workers in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States: of the 568 subjects who contracted Covid-19, 24% had difficulty in sleeping at night, 21% of the operators who were not ill had no difficulty at night. “Sleep is the body’s best immune defense – explains Manfredini – those who sleep little and badly are more exposed to the risk of infections and some studies have hypothesized that one of the causes why the elderly are most affected by Covid is also because they often have sleep disorders “.
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Bad habits of lockdown
In reality, the lockdown or the restrictions on freedom imposed by the pandemic could represent an opportunity to recover a healthier lifestyle by sleeping a little more. An often wasted opportunity: “The fact of living all together indoors for such a long period – continues the chronobiologist – has made us more susceptible. Those who work in smart-working often during the day help their children in Dad and then work for night accumulating a sleep deprivation that leads them to ‘dizzy’ going to sleep later and later. But anyway, now those who live in areas with more restrictions could benefit from it because they have the possibility to sleep even 20-30 minutes more up until the body – within 3-4 days – does not get used to the new schedule ”.
No to news after 10pm
And then there are the sleep hygiene tips that we should always follow because they help us sleep better all year round and not just when summer time changes. “Listening or watching the news until late at night, with news and images that remind us of the drama we are experiencing – says Manfredini – can predispose to ‘bad dreams’ which are different from nightmares and are much more frequent. negative images and concepts that we saw shortly before going to sleep and that resurface in phase 2 of sleep, the most superficial one, and that make us wake up with a bad feeling “.
Three rules for better sleep
How to get used to the new time? “It is essential to stock up on light by exposing yourself to the sun for at least half an hour a day – suggests Plazzi – this recommendation is even more important for children and adolescents who remain indoors for Dad. Natural light, not the blue one of devices which instead should be avoided, is the powerful synchronizer of circadian rhythms together with the social relationships that we had to limit “. Pay attention also to what and when you eat: “Since there is more light – continues Plazzi – you can go to sleep a little later, but avoiding a late dinner so as not to weigh down your digestion. coffee after 6pm. For dinner, it is better to limit carbohydrates because they induce a quick sleep but the effect lasts very little so you can wake up during the night “.
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Summer time comes a few days before Easter when Italy will be all in the red zone again. So, we will have more time to get used to the new regime: “Yes, but be careful not to turn Easter holidays into days of total anarchy by eating at the time we want, moving the dinner time too far or, on the contrary, eating too much. soon because the boredom of the lockdown makes us hungry – recommends Plazzi – not even to night snacks and afternoon naps because then the evening falling asleep is delayed “. And the chocolate that will arrive at home for Easter? “Better not to overdo it also because we should try to eat less since we move less. Just a little dark chocolate is fine but in the morning because it stimulates the production of serotonin, improving mood”.
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