The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Source:
Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:39 PM
Five Things That Daylight Savings Time Does To Hurt Americans
The change, costing millions of Americans an hour of sleep, shifts an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening.
CBS News reports that losing that hour may do more than just make people feel groggy -- it could impact your mood, motor skills, appetite and even your heart.
Here are a few ways the "spring forward" can affect your health:
Mood and Productivity
It's no secret that daylight saving time can disrupt sleep cycles. When springing forward, the body needs to make adjustments to going to sleep earlier, which can leave people restless.
Americans lose 40 minutes of sleep, on average, when the clocks are set ahead in the spring, according to CBS News. The sleep loss has increased irritability in many Americans.
"We know from small studies that in people who are sleep deprived, the amygdala, which is the emotional center of the brain, is much more reactive to disturbing images as compared to somebody who's well rested," Dr. Charles Czeisler, chief of sleep medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, told CBS News.
Sleep disruptions can also impact a person's memory, performance and concentration levels. A Journal of Applied Psychology study from 2012 states that shifts related to daylight saving time led to an increase in "cyberloafing" or killing time on the internet instead of working.
Workplace Injuries
Being deprived of sleep can affect a person's motor skills and researchers found that it could lead to more workplace injuries, particularly around daylight saving time transitions.
A 2009 study looked at data on over 500,000 mining injuries from 1983 to 2006 and discovered a 5.7 increase on the Monday following the time change. Furthermore, the injuries were reportedly more severe and led to a 68% increase in work days missed.
Car crashes
Studies have also noticed a spike in car crashes following daylight saving time changes.
In a new study being released in the American Economic Journal next month, a Miami University business professor examined car crashes just before and after daylight saving time in the U.S. over a 10-year period. The results showed a six percent increase in accidents immediately after people reset their clocks in the spring, which reportedly amounted to over 300 fatalities.
Heart Trouble
Changing those clocks could also take a toll on your heart. A recent study linked daylight saving transitions to an increased risk of a common type of stroke.
Analysts from Finland checked into stroke data from over a decade and found that the rate of ischemic stroke was eight percent higher during the first two days after a daylight saving time transition.
The study claimed that cancer patients and those over the age of 65 appeared to be at a higher risk immediately after the time change, with a 25 percent and 20 percent increased risk, respectively.
CBS News reports that the study showed an association - not a cause and effect relationship - but, experts believe sleep disturbances could play a role.
"The circadian rhythm influences numerous bodily functions including metabolic, physiologic, and behavioral changes," Dr. Teshamae Monteith, an assistant professor of clinical neurology and director of the headache program at the University of Miami, told CBS News. "Although confirmatory studies are needed, I believe this study supports the link between circadian rhythms and vascular events."
