In three weeks on Nov. 5, the time will fall back one hour again. As you have heard in previous columns, my body does not do well with time change! Of course, an hour is not nearly as bad when the time changes 6 hours when I fly back and forth to the Netherlands. I am very lucky that I see my family regularly. My sister was just here for one week (after spending a previous week in N.Y.). She should be home when you are reading this column. Many people will travel through time zones seeing family and friends this upcoming holiday. However, even one hour change will make a difference and affect you in all kinds of ways.

Typically, it’s easier to adjust when the time falls back, or you are flying west since you are “adding” extra time to your day. Anytime the time changes, or you cross different time zones you mess with your biological clock. It is an internal biological clock that regulates the timing for sleep in humans. The activity of this clock makes us sleepy at night and awake during the day. Our clock cycles an approximately 24-hour period. This biological clock is also involved in controlling reproductive cycles in some animals through its ability to track information about the changing lengths of daylight and darkness during a year. I know breeders use artificial light to manipulate reproductive cycles.

Did you know that we spend about one third of our lives asleep? Sleep is a required activity, not an option. Sleep actually appears to be required for survival. A misconception about sleep is that the body adjusts quickly to different sleep schedules. The biological clock that times and controls a person’s sleep/wake cycle will attempt to function according to a normal day/night schedule even when that person is trying to change it. The biological clock can be reset, but only by the appropriately timed cues, but, even then, by one or two hours per day at best. Yesterday my sister flew to the Netherlands, she “lost” six hours. Jet lag can produce a number of unwanted effects including excessive sleepiness, poor sleep and loss of concentration, poor motor control, slowed reflexes, nausea and irritability. As I mentioned above, eastward travel (losing time) generally causes more severe jetlag than westward travel (adding time).

For some people, one hour change does not really make a difference, and for some people (like me) it makes a huge difference. This is what helps me when I travel overseas: Get up at the usual time. If that is 8 a.m., get up at 8. My biological clock says it is 2 a.m. By getting up and starting your day, you will get in the swing of things within a couple of days. Of course, it helps when it is light outside to start your day early. Do the same at night. In a couple of days to a week you will be used to the time change. In three weeks, we add an hour, but typically, in the first week, I still get up my “usual” time. Especially since I have lots of animals who get very confused with the time change! Like myself, they eventually adjust too.

They keep talking about doing away with daylight savings. And I personally have never met anyone who says: “Oh no, keep daylight savings.” But once again I need to put on my big-girl panties and suck it up! While traveling through time zones, especially in a plane, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Stay away from caffeine and alcohol. On arrival (and return) make sure you eat a well-balanced diet and hydrate your body appropriately. Limit alcohol consumption because it does not promote good sleep. And last, but definitely not least, exercise! Again, and again and again, it is proven that exercise has all these positive effects on your body, mind and spirit!

Ester H. Marsh is director of healthy living at the J.F. Hurley Family YMCA.