Daylight saving time ends soon: How it can Impact your Health

To celebrate the end of daylight saving, which falls on Sunday, November 3, at 2 a.m. local time, most people will turn their clocks back an hour at bedtime. This, of course, impacts the human body, so preparation should start now.

Standard time stays until March 9, when we will spring forward again into daylight saving time. For most of us, the spring shift to darker mornings and lighter evenings is just plain tough because it really throws our internal clocks into disarray and leaves us bed-boggling for weeks. Studies now indicate that heart attacks and strokes may rise shortly after the March time change.

The autumn “fall back” is usually less of a hassle, but it still takes some time to adjust to the change in sleep patterns. For many, it is not easy to leave work when it is dark or exercise in light that is dimming. Those with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a depression associated with shorter days and less daylight, will find this one of the toughest times.

The American Medical Association and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine have considered abolishing the time change system, believing that natural light and human biology relate better to standard time.

For most of the world, daylight saving time does not exist. In America, only two states use standard time: Arizona and Hawaii for not changing clocks.

There are a few things to know about this twice-per-year practice:

How Does the Body React to Light?

The brain contains a master clock that controls our circadian rhythm, a cycle of approximately 24 hours that depends on sunlight and darkness. This rhythm determines our level of sleepiness and alertness and varies with age. This is why early rising children often become hard to wake as teenagers.

For example, morning daylight recycles this cycle, but heavy exposure to evening light can postpone the onset of melatonin release that serves to trigger sleep. Yet more severe disruptions exert a direct impact on the circadian phase of the autonomic nervous system: your heart rate, blood pressure, production of stress hormones, and metabolism.

How do time changes affect sleep?

This disturbance in sleep patterns can be brought about even by a one-hour shift, as the time to start work and school does not change. Millions are already sleep-deprived; in the U.S., for instance, only one in three adults has seven hours of sleep recommended, and over half of U.S. teens lack the recommended eight hours of sleep on weeknights. It has also been known to lead to other diseases such as heart disease and cognitive decline.

Preparing for the Time Change

One prepares for a time change by gradually changing bedtimes before the change of time, among others. Among others is increasing exposure to sunlight. Exposure will reset one’s circadian rhythm, hence sleep will be better.

Will the USA Ever Eliminate Time Changes?

Legislative moves to end the time change include the bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent. However, health experts claim that what should happen is the opposite: making standard time the permanent setting.