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Daylight Saving Time might hurt cardiovascular health, so why do we keep it around?
On Sunday, 2 a.m. will magically become 3 a.m. and we will all lose an hour of precious sleep. I was born and raised in Indiana, meaning the primary impact of Daylight Saving Time (DST) on my life was figuring out how the TV schedule would change and if we were now in synch with New York or Chicago. Later, its primary effect on my life was having to repeatedly tell journalism students that there is no “s” at the end of “Saving.”
I was in graduate school when Indiana joined the club and opted in to DST. Two graduate degrees later, I still get overly confused by it and spend a ridiculous amount of time Googling for more information every season during the week leading into a time changes. Let me spare you the Googling and you can read on below for some often misunderstood DST facts as well as its connections with health.
Why do we have DST?
The common story I heard from people who grew up with this monstrosity was that it was to help farmers. The exact origins of the idea are still debated. But, in the United States at least, its trains and not farmers we should be blaming.
Lack of standardized timing was a growing headache for transportation in this country, starting with train collisions in the 1800s and eventually, after World War II, issues with coordinating flights, busses, car rides, you name it. So, the Department of Transportation has Daylight Saving Time (and time zones) in its purview in this country.
There are still a few hold outs (more power to you) in the U.S. that do not participate in DST: American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Hawaii, and most of Arizona.
Does it really hurt our health?
There is an entire body of epidemiological research demonstrating an increase in heart attacks and strokes on the Monday after a time change, especially in the spring. A recent study using a cohort design and claims data from more than 36 million Americans found that increase to be smaller than previous research, but still present for the spring.
Why does loosing one measly hour of sleep hurt our cardiovascular system? Doctors still are not sure, but suspect it has something to do with circadian rhythms and recommend getting as much natural light as possible when the time changes.
Another possibility is that the time change occurs on a Sunday, right before Monday, a day with already elevated (back-to-work) risks of heart attacks. As stated by the American Heart Association:
According to a study of hospital admissions across the state of Michigan, there was a 24% increase in heart attacks on the Monday following the switch to daylight saving time. In a study from Finland, researchers found that the overall rate of ischemic stroke was 8% percent higher during the first two days after a daylight saving time transition. Other research has found that, in general, more serious heart attacks occur on Mondays than on any other day of the week, making the day after the time change even more worrisome.
It may give parents a headache (if not a heart attack)
For parents, of both tiny humans and fur children, another connection between DST and health is the stress of trying to explain the time change and shifts in routines to creatures who thrive on routine.
For kids (and pets, too, I’d imagine), waking up when it is darker or lighter out and then having to go to bed when it is darker or lighter out is disorienting and also has led to getting less sleep during an adjustment period.
A small study of high school teenagers found decreases in total nightly sleep amounts, increases in reaction times, and higher levels of self-reported sleepiness for a week after the time change.
A study of more than 600 children under age 2 found that it can take anywhere from three days to a month for kids to adjust to the time change and get back to their full, typical amount of nighttime sleep.
Many a child sleep expert will promote ways to ease your kids into DST by tweaking bedtimes, naps, and wake times subtly over a week. That has never worked for us as our kids are so attuned to how much daylight there is: “We don’t have to go to bed, it’s light outside!” And there’s no talking a pug, let alone two of them, into anything.
The take-aways
Politically, its unlikely DST will leave us anytime soon. Changes to the status quo are never easy once their woven into our systems and collective psyche.
Although there is still debate in the research literature about the degree to which it hurts cardiovascular health, there is no debate that sleep is crucial to health, including to proper functioning of our immune systems that are trying to fight off any number of infectious diseases as we crawl out of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
So, unless you are lucky enough to live in one of the opted-out states or territories (I’m sorry, I cannot remain neutral on this topic), then experts recommend the following for adjusting your sleep routine as soon as possible:
Don’t sleep in on Sunday. Suck it up, buttercup, and start your new schedule.
Get natural light. This can help regulate your body's internal clock.
Eat and drink well: Fiber, fruits, veggies, water, etc., while limiting alcohol, caffeine, or sugar-sweetened beverages.
Try to skip your daily nap so you fall asleep earlier Sunday night.
Limit screen time because the blue light will keep you up.
Follow (or create, if you don’t already have one) a relaxing bedtime routine. At the very least, take some deep breaths before you crawl into bed.
To my fellow exhausted human and pet parents: Godspeed this weekend and Monday!