March Update

Have you ever noticed how daylight savings time (DST) changes your world? After we ‘spring forward’, the mornings are darker, the afternoons are sunnier, you’re hungry at the wrong times, and you just feel ‘off’. And yet, in most of the United States, we voluntarily participate in this phenomenon every year.

The debate over whether daylight savings time should continue or not rages on in the public discourse. However, the medical community at large has made their stance on the topic quite clear. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, in their position paper in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, have advocated for abolishing DST and have recommended that following standard time throughout the year is the best course of action for our overall health.

Apparently, we humans follow the sun regardless of what the calendar or the clock says. We are effectively ‘hard-wired’ to be active during daylight hours and to rest when it gets dark. but the issue goes much deeper than just when we wake or sleep.

The Dark Side

And it isn’t just that we’re in a bad mood or tired on Monday morning. In her piece for Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 7 Things to Know About Daylight Savings Time, Morgan Coulson describes some of the very serious health risks associated with a break from our normal circadian rhythms and the resulting lack of sleep, which include increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, mood disturbances, cardiac hospital admissions, inflammatory flares due to stress, and even an increase in automobile accidents. 

Daylight Savings and SMI/SBD

So, how does this specifically affect our loved ones with serious mental illnesses or serious brain disorders? There is a growing body of evidence that suggests a strong link between disrupted sleep-wake cycles and a higher risk of mood disorders. In a study conducted by Dr. Laura M. Lyall (Medical News Today, 2018), her findings indicate that “mood disorders are associated with disturbed circadian rhythms…and altered rest-activity rhythms are also linked to worse subjective well-being and cognitive ability.”

Is it any surprise that our loved ones with mood disorders including bipolar, depressive, seasonal affective disorder, mania, or anxiety experience increased disruptions during DST? 

How to Prepare

We recommend that you review and update the care plans for your loved ones with serious mental illness or serious brain disorders throughout the year to accommodate for seasonal episodes. If daylight savings time causes changes (and we think that it does), what can we do to ameliorate this possibility? The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has offered some ideas on how to get ahead of the situation:

• Suggest to the person with SMI/SBD to gradually adjust their sleep and wake times, shifting their bedtime 15 to 20 minutes earlier each night for a few nights before the time change happens.
• Set your clocks ahead one hour on Saturday evening, March 9, and encourage them to go to bed at their normal bedtime. It is beneficial for the entire family do to likewise.
• Head outside for some early morning sunlight on Sunday. Exposure to sunlight will help regulate their morning routine.
• Encourage them to get plenty of sleep on Sunday night to ensure they’re rested and ready for the next day and the week ahead.

Be on the Alert

As the week following daylight savings time unfolds, it is critical to watch out for ‘red flags’. These can look like a disruption in normal sleep schedules, a shift in eating habits, a decrease in exercise, a change in social activities, an increase in irritability, a rise in energy level, or a deviation from daily routines. The goal is to recognize these markers as soon as possible to defuse episodes. For a deeper understanding of these disorders, how they affect your loved ones, and how to watch out for these red flags, we recommended the following excellent titles:

• Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder: A 4-Step Plan for You and Your Loved Ones to Manage the Illness and Create Lasting Stability (Fast, 2023) 
• Surviving Schizophrenia, 7th Edition: A Family Manual (Torrey, 2019) 
• Caring For Someone With Schizoaffective Disorder (Lee, 2023)

How to Course-Correct

If these red flags appear and you sense that your loved ones have gone off-course, what can you do to help get the situation back in line? When you notice that symptoms appear, and you are concerned, pull out the care plan and implement it. If possible, discuss with your loved one with serious mental illness or serious brain disorder what you are seeing, and together, what has been recommended. If this approach is not possible, or the symptoms prevent cooperation, it’s time to mobilize the treatment team.

If you have questions or need help, let us know!

March’s Curated List

Check out this handy flip-book compendium of well-curated resources to help your family and loved ones with serious mental illness or serious brain disorder get through the month. They include:

• Important Dates and Holidays
• Books
• Blogs and Websites
• Movies and Shows
• Music
• Podcasts and TED Talks
• Games
• and more!

Pet Appeal

In this on-going segment, we share stories from our readers about just how important their Pets are as members of their families and as support animals for themselves or their loved ones with serious mental illness or serious brain disorders.

Teddy in Space

This month, we are featuring Teddy, submitted by Sylvia M.

Teddy keeps Sylvia in the moment, and she welcomes the reminder that life can be funny, and that joy can sit comfortably in her heart next to the many changes that life has brought her in the past year.

“Teddy is consumed by curiosity and loves exploring all parts of the house. When he recently hopped into the clothes dryer after I removed a load of clothes, it looked to me like he was orbiting in a space capsule! Teddy brings me such joy, filling my daily tasks with smiles, even laughs.”

Now It’s Your Turn

Please send us your story (and, of course, a picture) of how your amazing animal-family-member has helped or supported you. Who knows, we may even feature your beloved support animal here in an upcoming Update.

April Update Preview

In April, we will continue our examination of how the seasons affect our loved ones with serious mental illness and serious brain disorders.

Why do mania and suicide so often occur in spring? How do we manage the symptoms during this seasonal change? What do we need to do to take care of ourselves and our families? How do we communicate to the treatment team when we have significant concerns about our loved ones? And how do we collaborate with the treatment team to get the best outcomes?

Look for our next Update in your email box on Tuesday, April 16.

How Can You Help?

We are committed to supporting families who are affected by serious mental illness and serious brain disorders, but we can’t do it without your help. Please consider making a donation to GASF so that we can continue providing the necessary resources to these families.