Daylight Saving Time Affects More Than Your Sleep
Believe it or not, daylight saving time – when we “spring forward” and set our clocks one hour ahead – may be harmful to your health. While you may not have felt the slight time change immediately, the shift can significantly impact your well-being, experts say.
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In fact, over time, the switch can become difficult, leaving you feeling groggy, as well as impact your motor skills, appetite and heart.
A 2016 study found that the overall rate for stroke jumped 8 percent in the two days following daylight saving time, with cancer patients and people aged 65 and older, 25 percent and 20 percent more likely to suffer a heart ailment, respectively.
“Previous studies have shown that disruptions in a person’s circadian rhythm, also called an internal body clock, increase the risk of ischemic stroke, so we wanted to find out if daylight saving time was putting people at risk,” said study author Jori Ruuskanen, MD, PhD, of the University of Turku in Turku, Finland.
Another study indicates that the number of heart attacks was about 21 percent lower than usual for the week following the conclusion of daylight saving time than all the other weeks of the year.
