DINE’s solution to health impacts of Daylight Savings Time ending

Day Light Savings Time end reminder to turn the clocks backTwice a year, when Daylight Savings Time starts and ends, our bodies are jerked out of rhythm and for days afterward, we suffer through impacts ranging from lack of sleep to depression.  Prepare yourselves, friends, you’re about to go through it again as you navigate through the various impacts of decreasing daylight in our days.  For our friends in New England, this means waking up in the dark and often eating two out of three meals a day in the dark too.  This weekend, we turn the clocks back an hour and start the journey into winter.  Yet, your friends at Distinctive Inns of New England (DINE) have the answer – a romantic getaway with time in front of the fire, amazingly cozy and comfortable beds and plenty of exercise while exploring new places will do the trick to overcome those negative impacts of shorter days.

Let’s look at what happens to travelers when the clocks turn back and Daylight Savings Time ends.  A lot of the issues revolve around sleep.  A story in The Telegraph explains health impacts from Daylight Savings Time ending. Joseph Gannon, 29, Chief Sleep Physiologist and Clinical Lead at The Sleep Disorders Clinic explains how Daylight Saving Time changes our circadian rhythm. ‘Your rhythm is how your body regulates your 24 hour body clock and it’s dictated by light. For example, if you think back to when we were cavemen and women, in the morning the light would enter our eyes, which would reduce the amount of the hormone melatonin being produced. [Melatonin is a natural hormone that helps induce sleep and is prohibited by light.] Then as the sun sets, not having that inhibitory effect from the sunlight, the melatonin level increases in our body and we start feeling more tired.’

Other research goes on to describe an increase in heart attacks, stroke and car accidents, all related to how less daylight impacts the body and sleep.  So, what is a traveler to do?

Two red wine glasses in foreground and a flickering fire in backgroundThe best way to combat the impacts of Daylight Savings Time ending is to find ways to relax, sleep well and exercise according to a myriad of experts on the topic.  While the members of DINE are not sleep or dietary experts, they do qualify as experts in relaxation.  Schedule your next getaway to one of the 11 DINE inns and you’ll be treated to all the remedies you need to fight the impacts of shorter days and loss of Daylight Savings Time.  Replace the sunlight with the light from a flickering fire. Fall into bed after a day of exploring, shopping, and discovering in DINE country and get a great night’s sleep from the fabulous activity of the day and the amazingly comfortable bed.  Then start the next day right with a fresh and healthy breakfast.

Amazingly one DINE getaway packs a punch toward addressing the twice yearly impacts of time changes. It’s just what the doctor ordered for easing into your new circadian rhythm with a big dose of R&R too.

Don’t forget, when you book your reservation with any of the 11 DINE inns, be sure to book directly with the inn for the best rates and availability.

In New Hampshire:  Manor on Golden Pond in Holderness & Chesterfield Inn in West Chesterfield.

In Vermont:  Rabbit Hill Inn in Lower Waterford & Grafton Inn in Grafton

In Massachusetts:  Harbor Light Inn in Marblehead, Gateways Inn & Restaurant in Lenox, Deerfield Inn in Historic Deerfield and Captain’s House Inn in Chatham on Cape Cod.

In Connecticut: Inn at Harbor Hill Marina in Niantic.

In Maine:  Captain Jefferds Inn in Kennebunkport & Camden Maine Stay Inn in Camden.