How to reset your body and support your brain health as the clocks go back

Sunday 25th October will see the autumn/winter season begin, as the clocks fall back one hour, officially marking the end of summer. While it can sound relaxing on paper – an extra hour in bed, a lighter start to the morning and the cosier evenings ahead – the clock change can still take its toll on your brain health. Even that one hour difference can take up to a week to adjust to. 

Deep inside the brain is a structure called the hypothalamus. This acts as the body’s main control centre, helping to maintain internal balance known as ‘homeostasis’. In addition, the hypothalamus manages the circadian rhythm, the patterns of when we wake and sleep. The circadian rhythm runs on 24-hour cycles, and these govern when you feel alert, when you feel tired and when the right hormones are released to facilitate your core body temperature. When the clocks go back one hour, the body loses its internal rhythm which is regulated by sunlight. This is why some people can feel like they have jetlag during this time. They may find themselves awake at 5am, fatigued by mid-afternoon and ready for bed long before the evening is over.

Many of us think of sleep as being rest, and while this is true to an extent, sleep is not all rest for the brain. When you’re asleep the brain begins its waste clearance process via the glymphatic system. The glymphatic system uses cerebrospinal fluid, which is the clear liquid that cushions the spinal cord and brain. It uses this as a cleaning fluid, and as this process begins, levels of noradrenaline, a chemical messenger tied to alertness and stress, quickly drop, putting you into a deep sleep and signalling back to the glymphatic system that it’s time to switch into high gear. The cerebrospinal fluid makes its way along the channels that run beside blood vessels, washes through brain tissue and carries out the waste products. It sweeps them out of the brain and into the blood stream, ready to be processed and removed. This cleaning process is why deep sleep is so important and why when you do get a good night’s sleep you wake feeling refreshed and ready to go the next day, for as Professor James Goodwin, Director of Science and Research Impact at Brain Health Network says, “our performance, both mental and physical, is greatly dependent upon the maintenance of our rhythm, and upon the point we are within it”. 

Even though we gain an extra hour, many of us still feel the shift, for when sleep is disrupted, we can notice reduced alertness, slower reaction times and even a change in mood. A lack of sleep only makes these effects worse. That’s why a good night’s sleep matters, but knowing how to recover from one is equally as important. If your sleep goes off track, guiding yourself back to your natural circadian rhythm is one of the best things you can do to protect your brain health in the long run. 

Here are five ways to help reset your body clock and support your brain health as the clocks go back

1. Get sunlight during the day: exposing yourself to natural sunlight early in the morning is one of the best ways to help regulate your circadian rhythm. This can be challenging at this time of the year, so as soon as the sun’s up, make sure you get outside. Even if it’s standing on your door step for a minute or two. 

2. Eat a sleep-friendly meal before bed: eating 2-3 hours before bed is the ideal time to allow your food to properly digest. Ensure your last meal is packed with magnesium, omega-3s and L’theanine, all of which help to stabilise blood sugar levels, preventing a 3am wakeup. 

3. Avoid caffeine after 2pm: caffeine is a stimulant with a half life, six hours after last consumed. This means that if you have your last cup at 2pm, by 8pm, the caffeine will only just be leaving your body. In addition, caffeine works to block adenosine, a neurotransmitter that promotes that feeling of tiredness.

4. Exercise often: a yoga class with purposeful breathwork or even a gentle walk can improve sleep. It does this by helping to reduce stress and anxiety, lowering cortisol levels, so that when it comes time for bed, you’re feeling much more rested. 

5. Have a cup of chamomile tea before bed: chamomile tea is known for its calming and soothing, renowned for its calming and soothing effects, helping to reduce anxiety and promote sleep.

Putting these into practice as we come up to the end of October will stand you in better stead for supporting your brain health as the clocks go back this autumn. 

For more information on how to support your brain health visit www.brain.health