I don't know about most people, but springing forward is one of the worst times of the year. I am a fairly habitual person. On days when I don't have to wake up at an early hour, my biological clock still springs its alarm and refuses to let me rest. My sleep is one thing that no one should ever mess with; yet each year we have to tweak with our biological clocks and switch the clocks forwards and backwards. How is messing with our biological clocks effecting our health?
The switch is no big deal for most. We just change our clocks and live out our Sunday with an hour less of sleep. For some people, however, there is some research that proposes that changes in the sleep-wake cycle can cause people with predisposed conditions to greater risks. People with depression are at greater risk of committing suicide, and those with heart problems are more likely to suffer from a heart attack. So, is saving daylight worth risking lives. Shouldn't we be saving lives and risking a little bit of daylight?
Why do we "save daylight" in the modern age? The concept of daylight savings was originally proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1784 in an essay titled “An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light” that proposed making better use of the morning sunlight to ease the economical impact of candles. It wasn't until 1908 that an attempt to introduce daylight savings as a law was attempted and failed mainly due to opposition of farmers. During WWI at 11:00 P.M. on April 30, 1916, daylight savings time was introduced to reduce the amount of time, energy, and fuel resources of artificial light and save vital resources for the war. Time was reverted back to normal at the end of WWI and was reintroduced during WW2 for similar measures and was reverted back to "Peace Time" at the end of the war. Daylight savings time caused a ton of confusion between 1945 and 1966 due to states, cities, and towns being able to choose when they would observe daylight savings time. Trains, planes, and automobiles had a difficulty of being on time as they traveled from place to place. In 1966 Congress established the Uniform Time Act of 1966 which put us essentially where we are today.
Is Daylight Savings Time still relevant? We aren't in war time. We aren't using oil lamps to light our houses or trying to conserve resources. Why are we putting people at risk for a seemingly outdated practice? According to an Australian study published in 2008, men are more likely to commit suicide during the first few weeks of Daylight Savings Time than at any other time during the year. Another 2008 study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that serious heart attacks jumps from 6% to 10% on the first three workdays after Daylight Savings Time begins. In 2010, a paper was published that found that women who did late-night shift work had a 50% increase in breast cancer risk. Another study showed that for each hour of sleep lost per night caused a 5% increase in psychological distress of the study volunteers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention there are approximately 50 to 70 million Americans aren't getting enough sleep. Chronic loss of sleep has been proven time and time again to be detrimental to your health. So, what do we do about it?
Here are some healthy sleep tips:
1. Maintain a regular bed and wake schedule including weekends.
There have been many times that I have been ridiculed for having a bed time alarm. As silly as it sounds, it does help to keep a regular schedule as it helps to fall asleep and wake up in the mornings. Try it for a week and you will notice a difference in your day.
2. Establish a regular, relaxing bedtime routine such as reading a book or listening to soothing music.
A relaxing routine can help ease you to sleep and reduce any stress or anxiety that may make it more difficult for one to fall asleep.
3. Create a sleep-conducive environment that is quiet, dark, cool, and comfortable.
4. Use your bedroom only for sleep and sex.
5. Exercise regularly.
6. Avoid alcohol before bedtime.
7. Avoid nicotine close to bedtime.
8. Don't eat 2-3 hours before bedtime.
9. Avoid caffeine close to bedtime.
#'s 6-9 can all keep you awake and make you less comfortable. Cutting these out can lead to a better night's sleep.
In conclusion, make sure that you continue to get plenty of "healthy" sleep this Daylight Savings Time night and every night into the future.
Sleep Well!
For more info:
Tips for a healthy night's sleep
Is Daylight Savings Time bad for your health?
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