ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

As clocks 'fall back' Nov. 6, some tips to deal with the time change

Share

Daylight time ends on Nov. 6 and Canadians are gearing up for less evening light through the winter.

The bi-annual time change asks people in November to set their clocks back an hour at 2 a.m., gaining back the hour of sleep lost at the beginning of daylight time in March.

Most communities observe the time change except for northwestern B.C., Creston, B.C., Yukon, most of Saskatchewan, southeastern Labrador, Southampton Island, Nvt. and three northern Ontario towns of Pickle Lake, Atikokan and New Osnaburgh.

Although people lose an hour of sleep in the spring leading to mood changes and increased fatigue, experts also believe gaining an hour in November can cause disruptions.

A study published in the in May 2017 on the effects of daylight time shows that time change increased unipolar depressive episodes.

Researchers analyzed 185,419 Danish hospital contacts for unipolar depression over the transition from summer to winter. They determined the time change caused an 11 per cent increase in unipolar depressive episodes, which dissipated over about 10 weeks.

TIPS FOR DEALING WITH THE TIME CHANGE

Experts like Amy Deacon, founder of Toronto Wellness Counselling, are preparing for a difficult fall and winter with clients.

The pandemic has left many with mental health complications, and returning to the office is burning workers out. But Deacon says people should be patient with themselves this year.

“We're really finding that people's mental health has deteriorated, they're more prone to anxiety (and) depression,†she told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview Saturday. “We're entering it a little bit more battered and bruised.â€

While many people are formally diagnosed with depression, seasonal affective disorder and anxiety, Deacon says anyone can feel the effects of less sunlight.

Some of the symptoms include irritability, fatigue, lethargy and reduced emotional bandwidth.

“They just feel a little bit fried truth be told,†Deacon said.

To combat these feelings, she recommends her clients start preparing in advance of the time change, by sleeping seven to eight hours each night, fueling their bodies with nutritional foods and getting daily exercise. Once there is a pattern of behaviour, she says it’s easier for people to stick with routines through the difficult dark days.

Deacon also recommends people connect with doctors or seek online talk therapy or counselling before severe symptoms of depression occur.

“I want people to take their mental health seriously,†she said. “It's a lot easier to recover and recuperate when we're being proactive as opposed to when we're responding to a crisis.â€

Having small events or plans to look forward to is a technique she recommends to clients, as she notices some people become “insular†during the winter.

“I'm really encouraging that they make plans and … to know that they're going to have real relationships, connections in real life, it makes such a big difference to not feel alone,†Deacon said.

Another thing people can do is light therapy through a special lamp that emulates sunlight. According to the , sunlight devices can help people suffering from depression.

WILL CANADA STOP DAYLIGHT TIME?

Canada’s provincial and territorial governments have the power to get rid of the time change, a movement that has gained support in recent years.

Several provinces and states have contingency laws, allowing for the abolishment of daylight time.

In March of this year, the U.S. senate passed a bill that would make daylight time permanent, if neighbouring states follow suit. This could set off a chain reaction in Canada after some provinces passed bills citing similar action.

In 2019, B.C passed a bill to make daylight time permanent after 93 per cent of residents voiced their support for the proposal.

However, both provinces will only go ahead with the policy if neighbouring states and provinces are on the same page. 

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

The Montreal couple from Mexico and their three children facing deportation have received a temporary residence permit.

For the last seven-and-half months, Toronto resident Heather McArthur has been living out what she describes as her 'worst nightmare.' On Feb. 7, her then three-year-old son Jacob along with his father Loc Phu 'Jay' Le departed for what was supposed to be a week-long visit to Vietnam to celebrate the Lunar New Year with family, McArthur says.

Local Spotlight

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.