Did you know that only about 40% of countries worldwide follow daylight savings? While we don’t in Arizona, almost every other state in the country does. It can be challenging to keep up with the time shift, as well as find the energy for the longer days now that spring is rolling around. If you’re like us, then you start feeling fatigued around this time of the year while you adjust. It’s totally normal!
That’s why we at IV Revival wanted to share our secrets for how to fight daylight saving time fatigue and make the most of the longer days.
History of Daylight Savings
Many people think Ben Franklin is the Father of Daylight Savings, but this isn’t actually true. Ben Franklin did describe something similar, but his concept did not involve turning the clocks forward or back. Instead, he suggested in a letter to the editor of the Journal of Paris, which was entitled “An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light”, that people could reduce candle usage by getting out of bed earlier.
The best part? It was meant to be a joke.
The true inventors of Daylight Savings are actually New Zealand scientist George Vernon Hudson and British builder William Willett. In 1895, Hudson presented a paper to the Wellington Philosophical Society, proposing a 2-hour shift forward in October and a 2-hour shift back in March. There was interest in the idea, but it was never followed through.
The first to follow the practice were Canadians in the early 1900s.
While Germany and Austria were the first countries to use DST in 1916, it is a little-known fact On July 1, 1908, the residents of Port Arthur, Ontario, today’s Thunder Bay, turned their clocks forward by one hour to start the world’s first DST period.
Why Does it Mess With Us?
You don’t have to turn your clock forward or back to feel the effects of Daylight Saving Time. In Arizona, we feel it when the sun wakes us up earlier in the winter, or when we’re allowed to enjoy the longer days in the summer. It may not impact our schedules as much as other states, but it does impact our natural rhythm, internal clock, and routine.
We all have a circadian rhythm that is essentially a 24-hour internal clock. This clock is what keeps us on our schedules. It’s why we like to eat at a certain time, why we get tired at a certain time, and why we wake up when we do.
Light messes with this clock — light from our phones, lightbulbs, and light from the sun. In short, daylight saving time, whether we change our alarms because of it or not, will always affect us because it lines up with the seasons. You spring forward for the longer days with later sunlight, and fall back for shorter.
Ways to Beat the Fatigue with Vitamin B12 and Magnesium
Since we’re in Arizona, there aren’t any “traditional” ways to beat Daylight Savings. We don’t need to gradually adjust our sleep schedule. It does help, however, to know it’s coming and to prepare for the shift in your internal clock.
For example, if you’re sensitive to sunlight in the morning, it may be prudent to go to bed earlier. Or you can take natural supplements and vitamins to help you get to sleep and stay asleep.
Magnesium works wonders when it comes to releasing tension and helping you relax.
It is great at combating insomnia, as it essentially prepares your body for rest.
How does it work? Magnesium acts as a natural calcium blocker to help muscles relax after a workout or stressful day. It can also help soothe contractions and spasms as well. On top of all that, magnesium also helps you produce melatonin, which is a common sleep aid supplement.
B vitamins are also known to help you sleep. Research suggests good levels of vitamins B3, B5, B6, B9 and B12 may help achieve good sleep. All of them help regulate your body’s levels of the amino acid tryptophan, which helps the body produce sleep-inducing melatonin.
Additionally, a lack of vitamin B5 may cause you to wake up repeatedly in the evenings, while B12 and folic acid (vitamin B9), are known to help fight insomnia.
Or if you’re someone who likes to take advantage of the longer days, you can help combat your fatigue with B vitamins. They can help you enjoy the extended periods of sun, or they can help you the morning after if you need a little boost.
You can get vitamin B12 and B Complex (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, biotin, B9, and B12) all at IV Revival. Our mobile IV therapy service sends nurses directly to your home. They’ll administer the IV and treatments are all quick and easy.
Fighting Anxiety for Better Sleep
If you’re like us, then Daylight Saving Time can bring some anxiety with it. It always makes it harder to schedule things with families and coworkers who are in other states. It can put a lot of pressure on you to change your schedule to match with theirs.
That’s where taurine comes in. Taurine helps calm your brain, reduce anxiety, and can help stabilize your mood. It’s a lifesaver when you’re trying to keep up with the rest of the world — after all, most of them just changed their clocks on you!
Those are our secrets! We consider ourselves lucky to live in Arizona and not have to mess with moving our clocks forward or back, but that doesn’t mean we’re immune to the stress and fatigue that comes with Daylight Savings. We hope our tips help you too!