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Doctor shares surprising effect clocks changing can have on your hunger
As winter approaches, it’s almost time for the clocks to go back, and if you find yourself feeling hungrier after the change – that’s totally normal.
The clocks go back an hour on the last Sunday in October in the UK and the first Sunday in November in the US, and a doctor has revealed it can have a strange effect on your appetite.
Clocks going back messes with your hormones
General Practitioner Dr Natasha Fernando explains that the clocks going back (or forward) interrupts your circadian rhythm, the 24-hour cycle that makes up your body’s internal clock and influences hormone regulation.
“It helps to dictate various bodily processes, from tiredness to temperature, so, as you can imagine, when these rhythms get interrupted it can cause a fair disruption to your hormones,” she says – which messes up all kinds of things.
It plays havoc with your cortisol levels (the stress hormone), melatonin (the sleep hormone) and most surprisingly, three hormones that relate to hunger. Who knew the clocks changing could affect your appetite?
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You might feel hungrier when the clocks change
“Even though we effectively gain an hour of sleep when the clocks go back, it still causes disruption to your sleep, the doctor explains. “Many hormones are influenced by your sleep-wake cycle, including those related to metabolism such as insulin, grehlin and leptin.”
Insulin is responsible for blood sugar regulation, ghrelin is the hunger hormone and leptin controls satiety. Disruptions to your sleep due to the clocks going back can negatively impact all three of these hormones.
Sleep deprivation can increase ghrelin, making you feel hungrier, and decrease leptin, so you don’t feel as full when you eat. The combination of both makes you feel hungrier than usual, which can lead to overeating.�
Insulin sensitivity can also get lower when the clocks change, which can lead to higher blood sugar levels, potentially making you crave more sugary snacks that are high in carbohydrates.��
Your body will soon get back to normal
If you notice yourself feeling extra hungry and craving sugary snacks when the clocks change, don’t worry, it will go back to normal after a few days.
“If your body is feeling out of whack for a few days after the clocks change, it might be related to your hormones, but be assured that it should calm down eventually when your body settles back into a steady rhythm,” Fernando says.
However, there are things you can do to help your body adjust when the clocks change.
She recommends staying consistent with sleeping and waking times so you dont confuse your body. This will prevent the clock change from messing with your hormones too much and ensure you feel relatively normal.
Let plenty of sunlight into your room, as this will encourage your body to wake up naturally and feel more alert as the day goes on. Also, avoid scrolling on your phone at night, as the blue light can limit your sleep quality, making it harder to adapt.
Dr Natasha Fernando is a practising GP and Medical Director at�Medichecks, the UKs first at-home blood testing service. She has over 12 years of experience with the NHS and completed her undergraduate medical training at the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London.
