Why daylight saving time is unhealthy – a neurologist explains
Beth Ann Malow, Vanderbilt University
By altering the body’s internal clock, ‘springing forward’ may contribute to an increase in heart attacks and strokes.
As people in the U.S. prepare to turn their clocks ahead one hour in mid-March, I find myself bracing for the annual ritual of media stories about the disruptions to daily routines caused by switching from standard time to daylight saving time.
About a third of Americans say they don’t look forward to these twice-yearly time changes. An overwhelming 63% to 16% majority would like to eliminate them completely.
But the effects go beyond simple inconvenience. Researchers are discovering that “springing ahead” each March is connected with serious negative health effects.
Also from The Conversation:
Another problem with daylight saving time: The time change raises your risk of hitting deer on the road
Daylight saving time ends in the U.S. and Canada on Nov. 7, 2021, and most of us will be setting our clocks back an hour. There is a long-running debate about the benefit of the time change, given how it disrupts humans’ circadian rhythms, causing short-term stress and fatigue.
Another risk accompanying the time change is on the roads: As more people drive at dusk during an active time of year for deer, the number of deer-vehicle accidents rises.
