What the clock change has to do with your hormones
We just get up an hour later right? What has that got to do with my hormones?! Well, I’m glad you asked as the answer is in fact, quite a lot.
On Sunday 25th October the clocks in the UK go back an hour, I’m with you my first thought is ‘great an extra hour in bed!’ - unless you have children who never seem to get the memo! We all have an internal body clock in the brain, known as our circadian clock (if you follow my blogs and social media this won’t be the first time you’ve heard of this!). It takes clues largely from light and darkness and helps regulate when we feel awake, sleepy and hungry, as well as the daily rhythm of many of our hormones.
The two key players are cortisol, which starts rising in the latter part of the night and typically increases around waking, giving you that energy to jump out of bed in the morning (if you hit snooze constantly, come and see me!) and melatonin works in the opposite direction; as evening approaches and light levels fall, the brain starts producing more melatonin. One of the biggest influences on both? Light
In fact, a recent study of almost 12,000 people found that people slept around half an hour longer on the Sunday the clocks went back to the Sundays around it. Our bodies really do notice that one-hour shift.
So, circadian rhythm is just about sleep? not quite. Sleep and our body clock are also linked with our appetite hormones, these hormones are ghrelin, sometimes called our ‘hunger hormone’, tends to stimulate appetite and signals that its time to eat; and leptin which is produced mainly by our fat cells and acts on the brain to signal how much energy we have stored, helping regulate appetite and energy balance.
Sleep matters here too, studies of sleep restriction have found changes in appetite regulation, including increased hunger and food cravings, and alterations in ghrelin and leptin have been reported. We’ve all been there, late night and eating much more the next day!
I’m not quite done yet, there’s one more which I know you’ve heard of, insulin, this is the hormone that helps our cells take up glucose from the bloodstream to use or store for energy. Our sensitivity to insulin also follows a circadian rhythm and is generally better earlier in our biological day than later at night. Poor or insufficient sleep can also reduce insulin sensitivity. Peri menopause can also reduce insulin sensitivity so getting that regular sleep pattern is even more important.
So after going heavy on the body clock its only fair to give a few top tips on how to help you make the shift, this is also handy for summer holidays if there is a time change:
Get up and go to bed at roughly the same time each day - consistency keeps the body clock anchored
Morning light - step away from your phone, open your curtains and get that morning light in your eyes, wait 20 minutes, let yourself wake up then answer those messages
If you struggle to sleep make your last coffee at midday - caffeine has an average half life of 4-6 hours, can vary with people but it means that afternoon coffee can still be in your system in the evening
Dim the lights at night, bright light in the evening can suppress melatonin production
As with sleep, keep meals regular too
This is why I talk about circadian rhythm so much. Your body clock does more than tell us when we’re tired it helps coordinate sleep, hormones, appetite and metabolism.
If you’re struggling with sleep, energy, blood sugar or any of the hormone issues I’ve talked about above, you don’t have to work it all out. I offer a free 20 minute discovery call, let's have a chat.
Best wishes
Lucie
xx
