The Time Change

For Twenty years now I have been part of "The Time Change". The concept is twice a year in designated areas of Canada; the time would change to either "spring forward" or "fall back" an hour.

I have tried to get my head around why someone would think changing the time twice a year is a good thing. My google research states that it started in World War I as a wartime measure to conserve fuel. I have also read that DST allows for earlier daylight hours in the spring. I would like the powers to be to consider a revision on the "Time Change". WWI was some time ago now, conserving fuel is not something that is done anymore. Early daytime hours were needed when farming with horses. With the new farming equipment, they have incredible lights which enables the farmers to work in the fields at all hours. A perfect world for me is for everyone to keep the time they have and work around the darkness.     

People that live in Saskatchewan have it made. They set their clocks, and they never touch them again unless they have to change the battery or the power goes out. I have noted that people in Saskatchewan have a wee struggle with the time when they are going out of province. Right now, we are the same time, but I do have many conversations that are like this, "your time or my time". My rule is, whatever province you are in, is the time!

I had coffee with my coffee group and one of the ladies said she was down. She said she would get over it, but every time the time changes she struggles. I just wanted to hug her. She has lived her entire 80 years changing the time and she was being open and honest how the time change affects her mental health. I was so relieved to know I was not the only one that had real physical affects from the time change. 

When I fall back in time, my body has no clue it is to comply. I am already an early riser so now I am awake very early, somewhere between 4-5 AM. Lack of sleep has a spiraling effect, if you don't sleep well, your mental health is affected. I think that is what my friend is experiencing. I believe that those that struggle with sleep, struggle more with the time change. 

My friends all know how I dread the "time change". I have tried it all. Change the clocks the night before and just wake up with a new time. Don't think about it. Don't do the time conversion. You would think that after 20 years it would be easier. But it is not. I am not sure what happened this year, but for some reason "falling back" has been extremely difficult for me.   

The scientific explanation is that there is a disruption of circadian rhythms. Everyone has these rhythms and when disrupted it leads to sleep disturbances and increased fatigue. That can affect hormone production, blood pressure regulation, and cognitive function, potentially leading to workplace accidents and car crashes. The health risks can lead to increased risks such as depression, obesity, heart attack, cancer and car accidents. The long-term effects are an increase in work-related injuries and higher risk of cardiovascular and mental health problems. 

It seems easy enough. Go to bed an hour earlier or an hour later. Up until I saw my friend struggling, I have felt like a failure at time change. I was a silent sufferer. If your sleep is disrupted it only makes sense that your mental health is upset. When your mental health is upset things become distorted. Coping is not as easy as it was. I am not the type of person that needs a lot of sleep, but I do need some. For some reason, during this time change I was dealing with an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. I was probably getting the same amount of sleep since I went to bed very early after getting up very early. But I felt literally exhausted all day. After 19 days of the new time, I burst through the cloud and I was back. It is just the craziest thing, and it has brought clarity to why I'm not a fan of the time changing.  

If you slide in and out of time change with ease, you are blessed. If you live in Saskatchewan and don't have to go through a time change, with the exception of travel, you are equally blessed. If you dread the time change and it takes some time to adapt, I am here to say, "it's okay". I feel that most people don't realize the struggle is real for some people and I would say I am one of them. It may be a 24-hour adjustment for some, but for others it may take 19 days.