AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen
Daylight savings time (DST) begins at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March and ends at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday in November. Although most people think of it as turning the clock forward or backward, the reality is that the time-shift can have a variety of effects on people’s health.
What are the effects?
There are health related concerns surrounding DST are a result of the shift in biological rhythms and the sleep-wake cycle. Studies have shown that drowsiness, fatigue, irritability and more serious concerns such as heart-attacks are more frequent after the shift to DST in the spring.
What can you do?
There are a few things that you can do to lessen the stressful effects of DST on your system. The first thing you can do is to eat dinner an hour earlier. This will initiate the normal hormonal responses to food an hour earlier and coax your body into feeling like it’s time to go to sleep. The next step is to create a calm and low-stimulus environment to complete the picture for an early bed-time. As you are getting ready for bed, make a cup of passionflower tea or take a natural supplement like melatonin or valerian. Each of these works in a different, yet effective, way to help bring your mind and body into a proper sleep pattern. Finally, exercise during the day (before 3pm) is a great way to ensure that you get a restful sleep and it also helps to regulate the normal sleep cycle. Always check with your doctor before beginning an exercise plan or a course of new supplements.
Don’t forget…
Don’t forget to check the batteries in your clocks and check any time- dependent electronic medical equipment that may need to be adjusted for DST. Some medical devices can be adjusted at home and some may need to be adjusted by a doctor or other health-care professional.
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Comments
Excellent article on a timely subject, Dr Mark...another helpful encouragement to be gentle and careful with our bodies and minds...I will definately pass this along to my nurse friends...get to bed earlier, ladies!!
Hi Atul,
Valuable piece of information!
Good article. I am a physician specializing in sleep disorders and this week is going to be a busy one for me. More attention needs to be paid to the physical effects of sleep-wake cycle disturbances. I am glad to see coverage of this in the media.
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