Saving yourself from daylight savings
Ah, daylight savings time—our twice-yearly ritual where society collectively decides to mess with circadian rhythms in the name of “efficiency.” While most people grumble about losing an hour of sleep (or gaining one in the fall), migraine sufferers often find themselves caught in a different kind of time warp: the kind where headaches come marching in right alongside the ticking clock. The connection between daylight savings and migraines isn’t just in your head—well, it is, but science backs it up.
The culprit? Our internal body clocks, otherwise known as circadian rhythms. These finely tuned systems regulate sleep, hormone levels, and energy cycles. When you suddenly shift the schedule by an hour, it’s like throwing a wrench into a delicate machine. For people with migraine tendencies, this disruption can be enough to spark painful episodes. Think of it as jet lag without the exotic travel destinations—unless your idea of a vacation involves lying in a dark room with an ice pack.
So what can you do to outsmart the clock? The key is to ease into the change. Instead of letting the calendar ambush you, try adjusting your sleep time by 15 minutes each night in the days leading up to the shift. This gentle nudge helps your internal rhythm get acquainted with the new schedule before it becomes official. Your head will thank you, and you’ll avoid that jarring Monday-morning migraine that feels like it’s sponsored by your alarm clock. Alternatively, you can modulate your body’s natural sleep-triggering mechanisms through supplements like melatonin—or the combination melatonin + ashwagandha, which works for me.
Light also plays a starring role in this drama. Daylight savings flips your exposure to natural light, which can confuse your body’s production of melatonin—the sleep hormone that moonlights (pun intended) as a circadian regulator. Combat this by being intentional about your light exposure: soak up sunlight in the morning when clocks shift, and dial down the screen time before bed. If natural sunlight isn’t cooperating, a light therapy lamp can help reset your brain’s idea of what time it is.
Of course, migraines like to stack their triggers. Sleep disruption, stress from routine changes, altered meal times, dehydration—they all seem to join forces around daylight savings like a perfectly evil supervillain squad. Prevention, therefore, isn’t about finding one magic trick but about reinforcing a few good habits:
Eat balanced meals on schedule
Keep caffeine predictable
Practice stress-relieving rituals (bonus points if those don’t involve doom-scrolling through social media at 2 a.m.)
P.S., have you tried fish?
The bottom line? Daylight savings time won’t be abolished anytime soon, and most of us are stuck with the biannual clock shuffle. But if you anticipate the shift, adjust gradually, and shore up healthy routines, you can dodge the worst of the migraine fallout. So next time the clock springs forward or falls back, don’t think of it as losing or gaining an hour—think of it as a chance to win back your routine before the migraines hijack it. Your brain deserves the extra care, and honestly, so does your sleep-deprived self.