Quebec will set the clock back overnight from Saturday to Sunday

(Montreal) It’s on the weekend that Quebec will have to turn back its clocks: on the night of November 5 to 6, 2 a.m. will become 1 a.m., which will allow you to catch up on some sleep.

However, night will now fall earlier in the province, which could have adverse effects for some, such as a feeling of fatigue or increased difficulty falling asleep and waking up.

According to Nadia Gosselin, professor in the Department of Psychology at the Université de Montréal and scientific director of the Center for Advanced Studies in Sleep Medicine, this time change should be taken into consideration because it can disturb the functioning of the body. .

Our body and our eyes are very sensitive to light, explains M^me Gosselin, and this variation affects energy levels and mood in some people. Note that this alteration is more caused by less exposure to the sun, rather than by the retreat of the needles.

Different in everyone

Although the biannual time change is a contested practice in Quebec, it can still generate certain benefits. If daylight saving time were maintained, the sun would rise at a late hour – sometimes even after 8 am – which would be more difficult for the body.

“It’s really the morning light that helps the body to synchronize with the day and gives it a good wake-up signal,” explains the scientific director. It is important, and therefore going back to normal time can help many people – especially those who wake up earlier – to get this light. »

That said, most people easily adapt to this disruption in their schedule. Only a minority of individuals will report having problems that last longer than a week. This is particularly the case for the elderly, whose biological clock is more sensitive to disturbances. Conversely, others will be little or not affected by this decline, such as adolescents and young adults.

“For teenagers, there shouldn’t be any problems, because they’re used to going to bed late and they have a biological preference to get up late. This time change will therefore match their biological schedule,” concludes Nadia Gosselin.

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This article was produced with the financial support of the Meta Fellowships and The Canadian Press for News.