This year clock-change falls on Mothering Sunday on 26th March. While we’ll welcome the onset of Spring and mums their well-earned lie-in, our body clock can lag for a few days as it adjusts to the clocks going forward by an hour. We’ll particularly feel that lost hour’s sleep the following week if we have to get up early for a commute, early shift, school run or training. If you hit the snooze button on Sunday, you will only disrupt your body clock further, making the early start on Monday even harder. Instead, the trick is to advance your body clock back by an hour in the run up to clock change.
“When the clocks spring forward, our body clock can struggle to adapt to the lost hour. Morning light acts to help our body clock to shift earlier in time, adapting to the change in time, and synchronise the clock to the new sleep/wake schedule. This crucial light signal can be provided both by a light box on awakening and a dawn simulator when light gradually increases during the last part of sleep,” says Dr Victoria Revell, Circadian Rhythm Expert, University of Surrey
This clock-change plan is based on a typical routine of bedtime at 11pm and wake-up at 7am – simply adjust to your own sleep pattern as necessary.
Step 1: Saturday am – get up about half an hour earlier than usual (6.30am). If you’re using Lumie Bodyclock, the gradual sunrise should help to make it less painful!
Step 2: Saturday night – go to bed about 10.30 pm, ideally using the sunset feature on Bodyclock to help you wind down. If you’re using our newest model Bodyclock Luxe, you can benefit further from the low-blue light feature which makes the light non-alerting. Imposing an electronics curfew by 9.30pm and/or switching on your devices’ low-blue light function if they have one will also help. The earlier than normal start should mean that you are extra tired and able to sleep earlier than usual. Remember to put your clock forward by an hour!
Step 3: Sunday am – wake up at 6am (BST 7am) and get up straight away (mums excepted!), resisting the urge to snooze.
Getting some light first thing will also help, ideally by going outside for an early walk or run. If your lifestyle makes that impossible, then the next best solution is to use a bright light like Lumie Arabica or Lumie Desklamp; the light signal triggers your brain to stop producing the sleep hormones like melatonin and to increase production of the get up and go ones like cortisol. You can then use a bright light during the day whenever you need a boost in your mood or energy.
Academic references to support the claims made by Lumie lights available on request
Lumie
Based just outside Cambridge, UK, Lumie has been researching, designing and developing light therapy products for over 25 years. Lumie lights treat seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and winter blues; boost mood and energy levels; improve sleep and waking; optimise sports performance; treat jet lag and acne. Our first Bodyclock dawn simulator – an alarm that wakes you up with increasing levels of light – was the world’s first wake-up light and brought light therapy into the mainstream. We also designed and developed Lumie Clear, a unique hand held device that uses combined blue and red light therapy to treat mild to moderate acne.
As Europe’s leading light therapy specialist with the broadest range of products in Europe, we have strong connections within the scientific community. Lumie is currently involved with research at Cambridge University and an EU project investigating the link between circadian rhythms and diabetes. We’re also a member of the Society for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms (SLTBR), an international group devoted to promoting research and knowledge about the biological effects of light.
Lumie is certified to the ISO 13485 medical device standard and our products are certified to the Medical Devices Directive (EC 93/42) which means they’re rigorously tested to European health and safe standards and must be backed up with published scientific evidence. The distance and lux level (the standard measure of brightness received) specifications for our lights are all independently verified.
We supply to the NHS on an occasional basis and our lights are recommended by SADA, the UK’s only registered charity dedicated to SAD. Our lights are also enhancing the study environment at Cambridge University Library and we are proud to be a long-standing official supplier to the British Swimming team.
Two of our wake-up lights, Bodyclock Luxe and Bodyclock Active, provide white noise as an option. If you are trying to sleep in a noisy environment or during the day, white noise helps to muffle other sounds, like traffic or people talking.
In the UK our products are available through www.lumie.com as well as major retailers including amazon, John Lewis and Boots. We also have an expanding network of distributors across Europe and in North America. For consumers buying through www.lumie.com we provide a 45-day trial period on all products and a dedicated customer careline.
*******
Contact:
Ruth Jackson
PR Manager, Lumie
Tel: 01954 786115
Mob: 07914 812261
FB:Lumie.light.therapy
Twitter: @lumie_lights
________________________________________________________