SPRING awakening

A change of seasons means a shift in our daily patterns too - here's how to make it work for you

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Sunny mornings and lighter evenings are what many of us look forward to when British Summer Time begins. However, the shift from winter weather can have a big impact - not only on our daily habits, but on our health, too.

'The first week after the clock change - when an hour of sleep is lost - is associated with increased irritability, daytime fatigue, heart attacks, and even mental health problems,' says Russell Foster, professor of circadian neuroscience at the University of Oxford. And, as many of us are already not getting enough sleep, this can make us vulnerable to these problems for months to come.

But, fear not, there are plenty of easy lifestyle tweaks you can adopt to make the transition into spring and summer feel easier. Intrigued? Our experts reveal how to successfully change your habits with the seasons.

Running like clockwork

Feeling sleepier than usual right now? Then your circadian rhythm could be out of sync. 'Circadian rhythms are controlled by circadian clocks, which are present in almost every organ and cell,' explains Dr Satchin Panda, professor at Salk Institute, San Diego, California*.

'These set the timing for different bodily processes, including the sleep-wake cycle, digestion, metabolism, body temperature, hormone production, and immune, muscle and brain function.'

This means every hormone, brain chemical, and digestive enzyme is preprogrammed to peak at optimal times of day. So, what part do the seasons play? Dr Panda explains that our master clock in the brain, called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), receives information about light and darkness from the outside world and shares it with the rest of the body influencing the timing of everything from sleep to hunger.