ScienceDaily: Daylight Saving Time Ends This Sunday, How it Can Impact Your Sleep

Daylight saving time is an annual practice of setting the clocks forward one hour in March, and turning them back one hour in November. The practice is meant to conserve natural light during months when it typically gets darker earlier.

But shifting schedules abruptly even if it is just one hour can affect sleep patterns for many. “We all have a built-in body clock, or a circadian rhythm. Humans are on a schedule. What turns us on and trains us is all about light. Humans are not good nocturnal animals. We’re programmed to be awake when it’s light and asleep when it’s dark. In modern civilization we disrupt that [with daylight saving],” said Dr. Steven Feinsilver, a sleep medicine specialist with Northwell Health.

While changing the clocks one hour in either direction may not seem like a big deal, research shows that the transitions in the spring and fall can result in sleep loss and disruptions. According to a position statement from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, “The light/dark cycle is key in circadian entrainment. The acute alterations in timing due to transitions to and from DST contribute to misalignment between the circadian biological clock and the light/dark cycle (or photoperiod), resulting in not only acute personal disruptions, but significant public health and safety risks.”

The statement points out that most acute health-related effects are noted only when transitioning from standard to DST (“springing ahead” an hour). However, transitions both into and out of DST have been associated with sleep disruption, mood disturbances, and suicide. The AASM says that as a result of these effects time changes during Daylight Saving Time can result in “social jet lag.”

Some Insights From This Article

• As the online Daylight Savings change comes, many of us will have one hour of extra sleep upcoming. Although a great source of relief for many of those seeking an extra hour of sleep, this time shift may have unintended consequences for many people’s sleep schedules.

• Transitions in and out of this time shift has been associated with sleep disruption, mood disturbances and suicide. Additionally there has been an increasing amount of vehicle accidents due to secondary consequences of sleep schedule changes.

• These statistics definitely attests to the importance of sleep to our daily lives. Even 1 hour of sleep can have incredible drastic effects on health and mindset. Perhaps this 1 hour change presents an opportunity to help establish a healthy consistent sleep schedule moving forward.

Full article is here!

#Sleep #DaylightSavings #Health