On October 26, the Russians will switch their clocks to winter time. Woman’s Day decided to find out if this transition affects our well-being and how we can improve performance. The editors turned to Vadim Khaikin, a psychotherapist, candidate of medical sciences and head of the Center for Systemic Business Psychology, for expert opinion.
We traditionally love the transition to winter time since childhood: still, you can get an hour more sleep in the morning! So, the fall transition of arrows is perceived by most Russians painlessly, since it does not particularly affect the natural biorhythm, in contrast to the transition to summer time. However, in fact, the shift of the clock is not indifferent to the body and causes the so-called temporary stress – a condition that requires addiction and adaptation. That is why some people painfully perceive changes, complaining of depressed mood, insomnia, headaches, drops in blood pressure, exacerbation of chronic diseases.
5 rules to ease temporary stress
1. Build your schedule so that in the next two weeks you do not plan any important tasks, activities with physical activity.
2. The painful condition after the switch of the arrows lasts 10-14 days. Starting from Saturday, October 25, and until about Wednesday, October 29, try to sleep at least an hour longer than usual: get up at the new time, and go to bed the old way.
3. Start taking vitamins of group B, C, folic acid, as well as complexes with calcium and magnesium, selenium and lecithin. The drugs you need will be picked up at the pharmacy.
4. Increase physical activity, small evening walks will help you relax and restore healthy sleep.
5. Conversations with friends and family, even on the phone, are a real medicine for the psyche, communication helps to let go of anxiety and relax.
Not to be confused with the autumn blues
Very often, the stress from the translation of the arrows is adjacent to the autumn depression, to which almost all residents of low-sun countries are prone. When the number of sunny days decreases, the tone of the nervous system decreases, and it is this combination of factors that pushes the development of the autumn blues. That is, to a bad mood, irritability, insomnia, overeating and malaise.
There is another unpleasant moment that can catch you by surprise – a midlife crisis, which affects every second adult 30-40 years old. This depressive state can overtake you in late autumn. The feeling of one’s own age, summing up the results, reassessment of values fall on the shoulders like a stone.
It is very important to understand what is happening with the psyche, and by all means to avoid impulsive decisions. You should not be led by a bad mood and make sudden decisions, such as changing jobs, parting, and moving.
By the way
In Russia, the arrows stopped translating in 2011. As a result, our time was ahead of astronomical time by two hours. Most people began to experience chronic sleep deprivation and fatigue, especially the inhabitants of the Urals, Siberia and the Far East had a hard time.