The variations of time change are catching up to me. It’s not enough that I’m suffering normal jet lag, but our return from London has left me biologically befuddled thanks to daylight savings time confusion.
So, I woke up this morning at 4 a.m., which may or may not have been 8 or 9 a.m. for my body. Or, it could’ve been somewhere between the two.
When we arrived in London on a Tuesday, the time difference was 5 hours. They were 5 hours ahead of the U.S. east coast. I normally rise at 5 a.m. or so, and naturally, the time change meant that, for the first few days, my bod wasn’t ready to go until much later.
But, one slowly adjusts. By later in the week, I was rising at a semi-normal hour, say 6 or so.
Then England’s time changed. “Summer time” ended. “Summer time,” that’s what they call it, in their quaint British way. Not “daylight savings time.” Whatever its name, naturally, I forgot to change my watch the night this happened, and found myself playing with my computer at what I thought was 6 a.m. but was really 5.
And, now we were just 4 hours ahead of home, which didn’t really matter, except when I was wondering if people in the states would be reading my e-mails yet. But, I had to adjust to sleeping an extra hour, and had but two days in which to do it.
And, so, when we flew home, now biologically 4 hours ahead of our house clocks and 1 hour behind our London clocks, real confusion set in.
I keep waking at 3:30 or 4. Lord knows what will happen this Sunday when our “summer time” ends. The clocks will again go back an hour. Will I be up at 2:30 or 3?
Probably.
I’m puzzled by several things international that seem like they should be universal but aren’t:
- why some countries drive on the left, some on the right
- why all countries don’t use the same electrical wattage and outlet styles
- and, now, why all countries don’t change the time at the same time.
I mean, why wouldn’t England change the time at the same time as the U.S.? Why wouldn’t everyone? Think how much easier it would be for us international travelers who happen to be traveling when the time changes.
Boy, am I tired.
