Adjusting to time change

[David1961]

How many days does it take you to adjust to the time changes (spring ahead and fall back)? When I was young, I could adjust within 24 hours but I notice now it may take me several days to adjust. I'm still waking up and getting hungry "earlier" than I did last week. The afternoons seem so long and the evenings so short. And it's dark by around 5:30 pm. Not a big issue but I'm curious how long it takes others to adjust. I also notice that it takes me longer to adjust to jet lag than others.

 

[smileydog]

One of the joys of ER - I really don't care what time it is most days unless I have a specific appointment. I still get up early and go through my routine of the day - but on my schedule.

So, in answer to your question - I would say about a day or so - after that I don't notice.

 

[Brett_Cameron]

What time change?

 

[MRG]

First time change in retirement. It's been harder on the dogs than us, this year. In the past while w*rking I hated changes to the fall clock. We used to schedule a vacation far south every December, just to get more daylight hours.

MRG

 

[Meadbh]

Adjustment was challenging when I was w*rking as I frequently had to w*rk weekends. It's just not an issue when you can decide your own schedule. The EU changed the clocks a week before North America. This asynchrony is due to the decision during the George Bush era to change the dates on which the clocks changed in the US (based on some energy savings rationale), and of course Canada had to follow suit, otherwise there would have been chaos. But there are a few places where the clocks don't change (Arizona? and Saskatchewan) and I wonder if it wouldn't just be simpler if we all stayed on one time.

 

[W2R]

I have always had a terrible time adjusting to time changes (after I became an adult, anyway). For me this continued into retirement.

This time, I was already sleeping later (and staying up later) than I wanted to, so I just changed the clocks and started going to bed an hour early, as though the time hadn't changed.

I am still having trouble with it, though, maybe out of habit.

 

[Ronstar]

The one hr difference doesnt bother me. But I cant handle the 2 hr time change between Il and Az during the summer. I usually fly out of Chicago late at night, get to our Az condo and wake up at 4 am starving instead of my usual 6 am time in IL. This lasts for a few days. Now the time difference is only 1 hr (Az doesnt do daylight savings time), so the winter trips will be ok

 

[Koolau]

One more advantage of living in Paradise is that we don't change time. I suppose this far out in the Pacific, we don't worry about what our "neighbor" states are doing (no one commutes to a neighbor state for w*rk, heh, heh.) I do occasionally have to think about the time zone when I travel to the mainland or when I call someone back there. Living in the tropics, our day-light hours are somewhat more stable than at higher latitudes. We do notice the difference, winter to summer (whatever those are) but we vary by less than three hours of daylight here. Most places I've lived on the Mainland, that difference can exceed 6 hours. Kind of nice not to worry too much about developing SAD every winter.

Of course, as others have mentioned, once you have retired, the time zone becomes less "regulating" than it once was. YMMV

 

[easysurfer]

About 24hrs for me. The first day was very noticeable. Afterwards, barely, if at all.

 

[Bestwifeever]

We adjust immediately but our dogs have difficulty with the fall-back an hour mornings.

 

[scrabbler1]

The springtime change is tougher than the one in the fall because it is tougher to adjust to losing an hour than to gaining one. But being ERed always made the springtime one easier. Even working part-time made the springtime one easier because I never had to get up early on Monday morning which was the toughest day. The last time I had get up early to go to work on a Monday morning following a springtime time change was back in 2001.

The only thing bad about the fall time change is that it gets dark so early. But that is not nearly as disruptive to my body as the springtime change.

 

[Marita40]

My cat hasn't got the message yet and starts howling for his breakfast at 4 a.m. rather than 5 a.m. Completely annoying.

 

[Accidental Retiree]

We adjust immediately but our dogs have difficulty with the fall-back an hour mornings.

+ 3 !!!!!

 

[Accidental Retiree]

My cat hasn't got the message yet and starts howling for his breakfast at 4 a.m. rather than 5 a.m. Completely annoying.

Yes, here too. Until they get adjusted I have just decided to roll with it and try to keep a good attitude about coffee and the ER forum an hour earlier.

 

[rockymountainhigh]

After reading this thread I just realized I didn't have to adjust at all. I think I am fully retired!
Now if only I can stop having dreams about missing a year of a HS/college class.

 

[Sarah in SC]

This is the first time in our married lives that DH hasn't complained about the loss of evening daylight. The sabbatical has at least improved his disposition!
Meanwhile, yes, it does get me down a bit to drive home in the dark, but at least hes's got dinner ready when I do get there.

 

[RetiredAndFree]

First time change in retirement. It's been harder on the dogs than us, this year. In the past while w*rking I hated changes to the fall clock. We used to schedule a vacation far south every December, just to get more daylight hours.

MRG

Yes, it's our poor doggies that suffer the most - their sad little faces started looking up at me at 4:00 pm, which was 5:00 pm for them the day prior. I've been adjusting them in 20 minute increments.

Conversely, feeding them ahead an hour, when DST goes back into effect, is never an issue!

 

[Sarah in SC]

Ah, we free feed the herd, makes it so much easier to know they've always got food down. But I should add...we don't have labs! Border collies hardly ever eat too much!

 

[Redbugdave]

Awww heck...You guys should have to work rotating shift work. A one hour change is nothing!

 

[veremchuka]

I can't wait for the fall time change, spring I hate. Now I'm waking up at 6 or 6:15 vs 7 or 7:15 and that means I am up at 6:30 to 6:45 vs a quarter to 8 or 8, one morning I got in the kitchen at 8:20! Half the day was over and I'd just be getting up. Took me 0 time to adjust but being retired allows for flexibility that the employed don't have.

Now I could say I like standard time and hate DST (and I do) but someone suggested we stay on one or the other. Not a good idea. The sun rises here at 5:15 in June, fail to advance the clocks and that's be 4:15 on ST and BTW it's light about 45 minutes before sun rises so now it's getting light out at 3:30 am! The sun rises at 7:20 here in December so if we are on DST that's 8:20! So unless you're living by the sun, off the clocks, shifting the time makes some sense.

I do love the sun setting at 4:40 down to 4:20 PM! It's so cozy to have it getting dark so early and this is why I hate DST when the sun is setting at 8:30 PM vs 7:30 PM.

 

[Meadbh]

Here's an article that I found interesting. It discusses the pros and cons of daylight savings time and time zones. Did you know that there is only one time zone in China? In western China, dawn probably happens at 10 am!

http://www.theatlantic.com/business...errible-heres-a-simple-plan-to-fix-it/281075/

 

[scrabbler1]

Here's an article that I found interesting. It discusses the pros and cons of daylight savings time and time zones. Did you know that there is only one time zone in China? In western China, dawn probably happens at 10 am!

Daylight Saving Time Is Terrible: Here's a Simple Plan to Fix It - Allison Schrager - The Atlantic

I recall chatting on line with some people in China and New Zealand and figuring out how we were affected by time changes. With the China person she had never heard of DST but it meant that we would be 12 versus 13 hours apart during the year. With my New Zealand friend it was more confusing. She changed her clocks as I did but in the opposite direction and not the exact same weekends as I did. So we would go from being 12 hours apart to 13 hours apart for a week or 2, then 14 hours apart after we both changed our clocks. Six or so months later that process would reverse. Made it confusing to find each other on line sometimes.

 

[Walt34]

Awww heck...You guys should have to work rotating shift work. A one hour change is nothing!

I know, I did that for 18 years.

I've never had an issue with the one-hour change, don't notice it. But I'm variable with sleep/wake times by +- 2 hours or so anyway.