SO YOU SHED the winter gear and it’s finally a bearable fifty degrees outside, but you suddenly find yourself yawning more even after a good night ‘s sleep.  A lukewarm spring beginning is a welcome surprise after a dreary winter, but it doesn’t come without its down side. One reason for this is the disruption in our circadian rhythms experienced when we turn clocks forward when ‘springing’ into Daylight Savings time. “I’m late, I’m late for a very important date. No time to say hello, goodbye! I’m late! I’m late! I’m late!” – White Rabbit, Alice In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll Circadian misalignment, associated with seasonal changes, daylight savings time and jet lag, decreases vagal cardiac modulation, the synchrony of the physiological action of the heart. It also decreases the excretion of the  stress hormone epinephrine from the body, meaning it may be floating around in our bloodstream a little longer. Both lead to increased fatigue.  Inflammatory markers triggered by stress (like in the form of a screaming alarm clock an hour before we are ready to hear it), also go up. These markers, including interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, resistin, and tumor necrosis factor-a can lead to weight gain, sugar cravings, fatigue, […]

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