Since I was a young girl the daylight savings time change has been a focus of spring and fall. My mom and I have always jested, “It is now 3:00 but it is really…” I do well with gaining an hour in the fall (I love sleeping), but not so well with the springtime change of losing an hour. Today I noted a vast foul mood change. I was as grumpy as a bear coming out of hibernation. No matter what my husband said to me I growled.

Physical Changes

The springtime change also correlates with that time of year when I am first noticing the weight I have gained through the winter, as I try on my spring/summer clothes. This adds to my grumpiness. When my anxiety is high I have no appetite and lose lots of weight. When I am feeling more “normal” my appetite returns, as does the weight. The other day, I was joking with my daughter, “I don’t know if it is better to be thinner and feel like crap or to actually feel good but be fat.” I cannot seem to find the happy medium. I looked at photos of myself when I thought I was “fat” and realize I looked pretty good. Why do we do this to ourselves?

Mood Changes

Of course lack of sleep adds to negative mood changes…in my case, anyway. Do you find that sleep or lack thereof affects your moods? I have always been a person who needs at least 8 hours of sleep. I do not do well with less than that. Today I woke up late and then took a nap in the afternoon. I feel much better now. I teach my patients to practice regular sleep hygiene–following a bedtime routine, having the same bedtime each night, and the same wake-up time each morning, don’t drink caffeine late in the day, and limiting screen time so that they are not on the computer at least an hour before their bedtime. Having the time change throws a wrench into these plans because the body is thrown off course.

Time Change, Mood Change

There has been a lot of talk about getting rid of daylight savings time. I know that the time change makes a lot of difference in northern regions of the United States where there are a lot of dark time hours. Now that I live in the Midwest where we get plenty of sunshine on a regular basis it doesn’t affect me quite the same way. What are your thoughts on this topic? I would love to hear what you have to say. Please leave me a comment.