How does the time change affect children?

BarcelonaOn the night of March 29th to 30th, at 2:00 a.m., daylight saving time will begin; therefore, the clocks will have to be moved forward one hour, to 3:00 a.m. The new schedule will make the daylight hours longer and make it darker later, changes that, while they can affect adults' moods, are even more so for children.

What effects does it have?

"Changing the clocks can change everyone's rhythm," says Òscar Ramon Sans Capdevila, clinical neurophysiologist and head of the sleep disorders unit at Sant Joan de Déu Hospital. In fact, according to Sans, it's normal for children to feel somewhat "out of phase" during the first few days after changing the time, to the point of feeling more nervous, sleepy, and even irritable or moody. The neurophysiologist himself explained to the hospital's health school that it takes between five and six days to recover from this time change.

What can we do to improve this transition?

It's advisable to gradually move daily routine activities forward by 10 to 15 minutes a day a few days before the time change to make the transition less abrupt. "Regarding bedtime and wake-up time, it's especially important to make this adjustment the days before. So, if the child normally goes to bed at 9:00 p.m., you can put them to bed 10 to 15 minutes earlier the days beforehand, so the first night we'll put them to bed at 8:00 a.m. and 15:00 a.m., and so on until they're adapted to the new schedule. We should continue to follow the same instructions for waking them up," explains the head of the sleep disorders unit. In the morning, it's also important to increase exposure to sunlight in their bedroom and at home. "One way to increase exposure to daylight is to walk to school or daycare to promote this exposure to morning light and stimulate serotonin production," explains Sans.

According to the expert, if your routine allows it, taking a nap in the early afternoon can also help reduce feelings of tiredness during the day. "But this nap shouldn't be longer than what's usual at daycare. For older children, those in school, the nap shouldn't exceed 30 minutes and only during the first few days of adaptation to the time change."

What if these guidelines can't be followed?

So, according to Sans, the advice for Saturday is to send them to bed a little later and then make up some time in the following days to get back into a normal rhythm. "In a short time, five or six days, we will see that they will be used to the new schedule and that nervousness or difficulty falling asleep disappears completely."

And after the time change, what?

To avoid disrupting your biological clock, it's key to lower your blinds an hour before bedtime, even if it's bright outside, to signal your brain that it's time to slow down. Following a relaxing routine an hour before bed and not changing your mealtime are other tips.