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Germany changes the clocks twice a year. But what does this mean for our biorhythm and how can we arm ourselves against it?
The opinions of Germans are rarely as uniform as when it comes to the question of the time change. The time in Germany is adjusted twice a year. At the end of October, with the start of winter, an hour is gained. However, time is “lost” with the transition from winter to summer time on the last Sunday in March. Both can disrupt many people’s biorhythms. Chronobiologist Dr. Achim Kramer.
How does the time change affect the body?
As a rule, it can take around eight days for the human organism to get used to the time change, according to the health insurance company Pronova BKK. © AntonioGuillem/Imago
The time change throws our so-called “internal clock” into disarray and is “always a mini-jet lag that influences our fundamental biological program, which ensures that our entire physiology, our entire metabolism, is rhythmic during the day and is optimally adapted to the environmental conditions with light and “It’s set to dark,” says chronobiologist Dr. Achim Kramer told the AFP news agency.
Since when has the time change occurred?
Summer time was introduced in Germany in 1916 under Kaiser Wilhelm II before it was abolished again in the Weimar Republic. Until the 1930s, people in Germany lived all year round according to Central European Time (CET) – winter time, which is actually the “normal” time. However, with the outbreak of World War II, Germany changed its mind again, believing that an additional hour of daylight could allow for more working time.
From 1945 onwards, the time change was repeatedly abolished and reintroduced until it was finally decided in Germany in 1980, in response to the oil crisis of the 1970s. The argument at the time: The time difference was intended to gain an additional hour of daylight for companies and households.
Chronobiologists at the Institute for Medical Psychology Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) have in one Study examines why the body is stressed by the time change. They found that increasing light due to the hour gained increases the release of Melatonin – the hormone that makes us tired and helps us fall asleep – inhibits. Instead, the body produces the stimulating Cortisol oder Hydrocortisonwhich next Adrenalin is the best known stress hormone.
The result of the time change: the body is stressed and the “internal clock” is thrown out of balance due to the new rhythm. This disruption of the usual rhythm of life causes health problems for many people, including in one Statutory health insurance survey DAK Health from 2019 were confirmed.
Time change: what health consequences people experience
Time differences can particularly disrupt the sleep-wake rhythm. As a result, the ability to concentrate, think and digest is disrupted. This type of jet lag saps strength and endurance and impairs coordination. The human “internal clock” is determined by brain functions and the Hormone balance controlled. It can take two to five days for the body to get used to a new day-night rhythm, as can be seen from the Ärzteblatt emerges. Particular Breathing techniques can helpto reduce stress.
In the Forsa survey, 29 percent of the approximately 1,000 people surveyed said they experienced the following symptoms after changing the time:
- fatigue
- Physical exhaustion
- Concentration problems
- Headache
- Irritability
- Depressive moods
- Problems falling asleep
- Sleep disorders
Babies and children are much less able to adjust their “internal clock” compared to adults; they need a regular rhythm. In the Forsa survey, every second family with children under the age of twelve reported noticing the effects of the time change on their children. The children sleep worse and are more unbalanced and irritable during the day.
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Time change: What helps the body get used to it better?
Dr. Kramer recommends: “Light is important, that means light at the right time. If you have to get up an hour earlier, then it’s good to turn on bright, blue light when you get up, because that stimulates the receptors that change our internal clock, blue light receptors. It feels like a bright, cold light. So make it nice and bright when you get up, maybe even go out and go for a run, that will help.”
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. It in no way replaces a visit to the doctor. Our editorial team is not allowed to answer individual questions about medical conditions.
