And yes, I have spent the past ten mornings feeling an hour behind and, no, I haven’t figured out yet how not to be influenced by Daylight Saving (officially, no “s” on the end) Time. Also, too many other people I know haven’t stopped complaining about and being frustrated by it either. Despite the appeal of having “another hour of daylight”, logic tells me that you cannot just change a clock and expect the body (and the rest of the natural world) to change as easily. So I decided to do a little investigating and it turns out that I am right. What follows are research findings on the effects of DST on our health and safety. It is interesting to note that the same difficulties and hazards in adapting to time change do not occur in reverse as benefits (with one exception) in the fall when we go back to “real” time!
● When clocks are set ahead an hour in the spring, accidents go up according to a 1998 study. Sleep deprivation is considered the most likely cause of a 17 percent increase in accidents on the Monday following the time change. The study found no significant reduction in accidents in the fall when clocks are set back an hour.
● There is a higher incidence of workplace and occupational accidents, particularly in industries like mining and transportation, for about two to three weeks right around this time.
● The time change can have a negative impact on scholastic performance, as with teenagers taking tests during this two-week period.
● The chance of a heart attack goes up during the first three weekdays after the springtime shift to DST. In this case, the heart attack risk declines in the fall on the Monday after clocks go back and people get an extra hour of sleep. Interestingly, the effects in this area are less on people over the age of 65, who tend to be retired and less tied to a time schedule.
● An Australian study showed an increase in the incidence of male ( I don’t believe that females were part of the study) suicides after the DST shift.
● Losing an hour of sleep contributes to sleep debt, which manifests in waking up tired, needing caffeine to get going and nodding off during the day. Some other “subtle” signs include: irritability, depression, inability to focus, inability to multi-task and anxiety.
● And if your health isn’t enough to make you think twice about it, your wallet might be! Economists have found that sleep-deprived traders typically produce “large negative returns on financial-market indices” in the week after the shift to DST.
● While people often dismiss the time changes as “only an hour,” the research shows that many people never adjust their biological timing for the lost hour of sleep all through the summer and fall. “It’s too early to say whether DST has any serious long-term impact on health,” one researcher said, “but our results indicate that we should consider this seriously.”
So, after all is read and done, I’ll say once again, we really should leave “time” alone since we usually get in trouble when we mess with mother nature. There are still only twenty four hours in the day…we’re not saving anything. Instead, it’s costing us our health and well being!
©2010 Carrie A. Mayes All Rights Reserved. Feel free to use this article if full attribution is given to Carrie A. Mayes with the following description: Carrie Mayes D.C. is a Traverse City, MI chiropractor working with people to attain higher levels of health, feel better and enjoy life more. You can find more information at www.mayeschiropractic.com.
DISCLAIMER: The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment. You should consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem. You should not stop taking any medication without first consulting your physician.