In a week, we will turn the clocks: start preparing your body now

On the last weekend of March – from Saturday to Sunday – we will turn our clocks forward one hour. Turning the clocks in the spring can affect our physical and emotional health far more than changing the hours in the fall. “Eurovaistinė” pharmacist Elvyra Ramaškienė notices that people start preparing for turning the clock too late. According to her, the best time to start is now.

“Moving forward just one hour can have negative consequences for our physical and emotional health. Since we will lose one hour of sleep during the night – from Saturday to Sunday – we may experience sleep disturbances later, which will make it even more difficult to get up for work on Monday. So don’t be surprised if you feel stronger fatigue and reduced concentration at work in the first days. The turning of the clock also affects our emotional health – we can be in a worse mood these days, more sensitive, more irritable”, says pharmacist E. Ramaškienė.

The pharmacist says that in order to reduce the negative impact of turning the clock on our health, we should start preparing for it now. She identifies several ways that could help:

Start getting up earlier

“If you start getting up 7 minutes earlier from tomorrow morning, nine days from now when we turn the clock, you shouldn’t feel the time change so strongly anymore. And if you have plans for the weekend and foresee late dinners and entertainment, start getting up 10 minutes earlier every day from Monday. During the day, this change does not seem big, but at the end of the week you will thank yourself for it”, smiles pharmacist E. Ramaškienė.

Drink herbal teas in the evening

“You may not want to go to bed earlier while waiting for the clock to turn.” Therefore, in the evening, at least a couple of hours before going to sleep, drink herbal tea. Lemon balm, peppermint or even wort can be extremely helpful,” says pharmacist E. Ramaškienė.

Melatonin can also help

For people who are more sensitive to time rotation, the pharmacist advises a week before starting to take melatonin in the evenings. According to her, it is advised to consume it about an hour before going to bed. This will help stimulate the production of the hormone melatonin in our body, thus encouraging it to fall asleep earlier.

Take care of your heart

Rewinding time can affect the exacerbation of cardiovascular diseases. For this reason, the pharmacist advises to take care of not only your own, but also that of your elderly relatives’ medicine cabinet, so that it contains medicines for blood pressure and heart drops.