ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s that time again.
Our clocks will spring forward on Sunday, March 13th, 2022. But what can losing an hour do to your health?
Ivanhoe reports on the health consequences of daylight saving time and some ways people can make that transition a little easier.
Skipping an hour ahead this spring for daylight saving time doesn’t just change the time.
“There’s also a change in your sleep and your circadian rhythm and ultimately that has an effect on your physical health as well as mental health,” detailed Caitlin Nicholson, MD, a sports medicine physician at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush.
In fact, a University of Michigan study found hospitals report a 24 percent spike in heart attack visits the Monday following the loss of an hour for daylight saving time. Stroke rates were also eight percent higher the first two days after the time change. So how can you make that springing forward transition easier on your health?
“You can actually start shifting the times you go to bed and the times you wake up by about 15 to 20 minutes per night,” Dr. Nicholson told Ivanhoe.
Also, expose yourself to sunlight in the morning because that helps your circadian rhythm more closely align to that change in sleep. And exercising at the right time can get your body ready for the transition. It’s best to work out in the morning or early afternoon.
“I would avoid exercising right before bed as that can wake you up a little bit during the time that you’re going to want to be sleeping,” said Dr. Nicholson.
The American Psychological Association said people lose on average 40 minutes of sleep the Monday after spring forward. Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and parts of Arizona do not have daylight saving time.