General News
4 October, 2024
Why daylight saving can make you very hungry and what to do about it
Clocks move forward an hour wreaking havoc on our appetite.
With daylight saving around the corner dieticians are warning that losing an hour of sleep could wreak havoc with our eating patterns.
On Sunday, October 6 at 2am local time, clocks will go forward by one hour in NSW, Victoria, ACT, Tasmania and South Australia, marking the return of Daylight Saving Time (DST).
Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not have daylight saving.
Charles Perkins Centre obesity expert Dr Nick Fuller told ACM pushing the clocks forward "results in a misalignment in our internal biological clock".
"The one hour less sleep we get often has a flow on effect to our lifestyle choices the next day," he said.
Research showed that one night of sleep deprivation results in an increase in our ghrelin, a hormone produced by your stomach, he said.
"You wake up feeling hungrier and you're more likely to make poor diet choices," he said.
Dr Fuller warned people could often during this time reach for high calorie food, full of sugar and fat, such as at the vending machine or shops.
Tips for tackling the hunger urge
Dr Fuller advised people to "reach for nature first" during daylight saving.
Natural foods like fruits, berries, nuts, seeds and avocados are all recommended.
"This will prevent you from loading up on nutrient-poor, energy-dense foods," he said.
Eat 'big to small'
Dr Fuller also said people should also aim to eat from "big to small".
"Load up in the morning because we burn the calories more efficiently in the morning than the evening time," he said.
"We need to change the way we eat throughout the day, this is particularly important during daylight saving when our internal body clock is disrupted."
He also advised people to try and go to bed an hour earlier, to combat the issue.