
Daylight savings began in 1916 when the Germans set their clocks ahead one hour to save fuel for the war effort. The United States followed this in 1918 and repealed after the war ended. Then, during World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt re-established this policy, which lasted until the war's end in September 1945.
In 1966, the Uniform Time Act established it again, beginning on the last Sunday in April and ending on the last Sunday in October. This policy has changed many times, but since 2007, daylight savings time has begun on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November, which is current.
It may be surprising that altering your schedule by just one hour can profoundly affect your internal clock or circadian rhythm. Still, these shifts can disrupt mental and physical balance, and minor tweaks to your daily habits can assist in maintaining harmony.
Aligning our routines with the sun’s cycle isn’t a novel idea, yet adjusting to changes in time can be challenging, particularly in spring when we lose an hour. Ayurveda views nature as a reflection of our essence, influencing the circadian rhythms of all living beings. Every form of life—animals, humans, plants—has a biological clock that denotes the time of day, which can occasionally fall out of sync.
Blue light is one of the biggest culprits of insomnia and nighttime restlessness. It can throw circadian rhythms out of balance. Blue light emitted from our favorite devices, such as tablets, e-readers, cell phones, televisions, and computers, all affect the brain’s melatonin production, governing the circadian rhythm and sleep cycle. Turning off digital screens one or two hours before bedtime signals to your body that it's time to sleep, which creates healthy routines and aligns your body’s internal clock with nature.
Other helpful practices include creating regularity. Creating a schedule with goals on when to sleep, rising, and meal times creates balance. Having a wind-down scenario in the evening, stropping work, looking at emails, or surfing the web early in the evening will help quiet the mind and nervous system. Initiating an abhyanga practice and then doing a meditation and/or pranayama practice will create groundedness and relaxation. It is a well-known yogic fact that practicing inverted yoga poses will also help adjust the internal close and get more regular sleep and Ojas (immunity.
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