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Businesses brace, research reveals lateness clock change link  

Businesses brace as research reveals lateness link to October clock change

Research by sleep aid Zenbev shows 16% of men will be late for a meeting due to clock change on Sunday 25 October 2015

As the clocks go back one hour this Sunday (25 October), the call to scrap the annual change is backed by research from sleep aid Zenbev showing that more than half of Brits think the time-tampering is unnecessary.

What’s more, 1 in 4 people believe the hour change negatively affects their sleep, with 16% of men admitting they’ve been late for a meeting as a direct result of the clock change.

Officially marking the end of British Summer Time, Britons will gain an extra hour at 2am this Sunday. In the poll of over 1,000 people, those aged 55-plus led the no-change camp. The findings could be linked to the number of clocks we own – with the survey revealing that 1 in 4 of us have more than eight clocks in our home to alter on Sunday, with over 55s owning the most timepieces and therefore most affected by mundane time change tasks.

While the average Brit has six clocks in their household (such as microwaves, ovens as well as alarms, radios and watches), more than half of us (57%) will not bother to turn back all the clocks that don’t automatically detect the time shift.

Polled on how Brits will use the extra hour this weekend, watching TV ranked the most popular activity (32%). 6% plan to use the time beneath the sheets – with men three times more likely than women to want to invest the hour in sex. Around 1 in 5 will spend quality time with the family, while 8% will clean.

Sleep problems are thought to affect one in three people in the UK and the biannual time change of one hour is attributed to spikes in road accidents and a wealth of health and lifestyle woes.

Sleep expert Dr Craig Hudson, who is behind a natural, organic sleep aid called Zenbev, explains: “Quality sleep is absolutely essential for good health – both physical and mental – and just one hour of additional sleep or one hour less can have a significant effect for days, or even weeks. This weekend’s clock change can affect mood and cause potential anxiety, depression and even weight gain.

He adds: “Contrary to what many believe, it’s not possible to ‘bank’ sleep, so the best approach to the clock change is to maintain your sleep routine. Avoid taking a daytime nap or lying in beyond your normal time. Consistency is key to good quality sleep.”

Dr Craig Hudson, who has more than 10 years’ experience in sleep disorders, has devised a scientific formula for a good night’s sleep based on clinical trials.

Called the ‘BED’ equation, it identifies the optimum conditions for sleep based on Behavioural, Environmental and Dietary factors that impact on quality of sleep.

The checklist upon which the ‘BED’ formula is based incorporates sleep-enhancing measures including the below top tips:

Top five sleep tips

• Reduce noise and light distraction
• Manage bedroom temperature at 21C
• Exercise during the day
• Avoid protein three hours before bed
• Limit intake of alcohol and caffeine
• Increase carb intake such as bread or cereal in the evening

Zenbev is an entirely natural and healthy drink that has been clinically proven to aid sleep.

The drink contains organic pumpkin seeds and is rich in tryptophan, a natural sleep aid. Tryptophan is light sensitive and metabolises differently in light or dark conditions. When taken during the day, the tryptophan in Zenbev becomes serotonin, which regulates mood, emotion, and appetite, and is well known to alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression. When taken at night, serotonin metabolizes into melatonin, a hormone that activates the brain’s normal sleep mechanisms.

Clock change facts

• While clocks are almost always set one hour back or ahead, historically there has been half adjustment (30 minutes) or double adjustment (two hours), and adjustments of 20 and 40 minutes.
• William Willett campaigned for British Summer Time in 1907 to prevent people from wasting valuable hours of light during summer mornings. He died a year before his idea was put into action, first by Germany and later Britain.
• Willett is purported to be the great-great-grandfather of Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin.
• In the early 1900s many clocks could not be turned back without breaking the mechanism, instead clocks were put forward by 11 hours when British Summer Time ended.
• A 2014 study of 23,000 children in nine countries suggested their activity levels were 15-20% higher on days when the sun set after 9pm, backing the case for daylight savings.
• The Automobile Association estimates that around 100 lives each year would be saved by avoiding traffic accidents on dark evenings due to the clocks going back.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by ZenBev .