2 A.M. Sunday, our clocks jumped forward an hour (except for clocks in Arizona and Hawaii, lucky bastards) in observance of Daylight Saving (yes singular, not plural like most of us call it).
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Daylight saving time is now in effect over much of the United States, and anyone who had to work on Sunday, March 13 lost an hour of sleep the night before.
But here’s the major downfall of perma-DST: There’s about an hour difference in solar time between the east and west sides of each time zone, so, for example, while the sun comes up at 7:30 AM in Portland, Maine, it’s almost 8:30 AM in Indianapolis.
An hour of sleep was stolen from them in the switch from standard time to daylight saving time. The average worker loses about 40 minutes of sleep when clocks are turned forward.
In the paper, published in the Perspective on Psychological Science, Barnes and his co-author, Christopher Drake of the Sleep Disorders and Research Center at Henry Ford Hospital, suggested that daylight saving time be eliminated.
The rate at which people experience strokes on the Monday after Daylight Saving Time also increases by 80%, according to a study out of Finland.
The changing of the clocks also is the time when fire departments and emergency government offices ask people to replace batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Here’s everything you need to know about daylight saving time beginning this year.
The hustle and bustle of the city brings some, after Sunday’s spring forward, a struggle to stay out of trouble.
Daylight saving time is not likely to go away soon, but neither will controversies surrounding the practice.
Any amount of sleep deprivation can affect the hormone levels in the body, which can lead to changes in appetite, an increase in cravings, and potential overeating.
The tradition started catching on a century ago during World War I, with countries trying to use more daylight and less energy for lighting to conserve coal and oil. Many studies claim the time change could even damage physical and mental health since this societal self-imposed jet lag messes with our circadian rhythm.
Once you head to bed a cool, quiet, and dark room which is well-ventilated provides you with the ideal conditions in which to sleep. A 2014 study by the University of Colorado showed a 25 per cent increase in heart attacks on the Monday after the springtime clock change, compared with other Mondays throughout the year.
The Uniform Time Act of 1966 set the period of daylight saving time between April and October each year.
Both also believe that having a relaxing bedtime routine can help.
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Professor Wright says you could consider going to bed a little earlier the night before.
