In the UK, the clocks have just sprung forward (meaning it feels like we’ve lost an hour’s sleep).

That shift has consequences. It’s been linked to higher heart attack risk, “social jet lag”, and misaligned body clocks. The British Sleep Society has previously called for clock changes to be dismissed altogether because of how much they mess up our circadian rhythms, which can take weeks to reset.

And no matter what time of year it happens, longer-lasting “chronic circadian misalignment” is linked to a higher risk of diabetes and heart disease.

But some research has found that “zeitgebers” can help to get your body clock back on track.

The term comes from two German words: “Zeit,” meaning “time,” and “geber,” meaning “giver”.

It’s any part of your environment, be it morning light or mealtimes, that acts as a way to “set” or give cues to your body clock.

These are important because our natural circadian rhythm doesn’t run on an exact 24-hour schedule. We need zeitgebers to help match our body clocks to the demands of our social and professional schedules, and to prevent “social jet lag” and other body clock misalignments.

One paper found that mealtimes, physical activity, and light exposure seemed to influence our body clocks the most.

Those who got up later (after 6:30-7:45am) and saw later light (after 11pm), as well as eating later (having their first meal after 7:45-9:45am and last meal after 8-9pm) tended to go to bed anywhere from half an hour to about an hour and 20 minutes later.

And those who didn’t get outside light until after 9:30am seemed to sleep about half an hour longer.

Meanwhile, those who did over a third of their physical activity in the morning tended to fall asleep and wake up earlier. That stood regardless of how much physical activity people did.

This might suggest that doing your workout in the mornings, getting some morning light, and having your latest meal before 8pm could make the post-clock change period (which demands earlier wake-ups) a little easier to manage.