After the morning was a bit dark, the sun's rays should break into your slumber sooner. With the adjustment of daylight saving time . But advancing the clock to late March each year does not go smoothly, with people practically losing an hour of darkness or an hour of sleep, while others take several days to acclimatize.
Daylight saving time, initially implemented to save energy, forces the body's internal clock to compete with the regular clock; Inside the brain is a "key" hypothalamus area called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which uses hormonal and chemical signals to synchronize time throughout the body, Webmed reports .
Our internal clocks regulate the entire body's processes, including the functions of the liver, immune system and other organs in the body, which means that any disruption will have major effects.
It seems that the suffering of waking up in the mornings that follow the change of daylight saving time is something that doctors draw attention to, warn of, and even refuse to implement.
Adjusting daylight saving time goes against the biological clock
In turn, the director of the Center for Excellence in Sleep at Columbia University in New York said that adjusting or delaying the time by an hour in the fall, is better consistent with the body's circadian rhythm, or natural sleep-wake cycles.
The human biological clock is programmed to wake up with bright light and sleep at nightfall, and winter time provides more sunlight in the morning and early dark.
Adjusting the daylight saving time does the opposite, providing more sunshine in the evening.
Sleep experts say this alteration interferes with the body's biological clock in ways that are detrimental to overall health.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) notes that sudden changes in clocks each spring are associated with a wide range of public health and safety problems, including an increase in heart attacks, strokes, mood disorders and motor vehicle accidents.
Adjusting daylight saving time makes it difficult to sleep in the first week, and people lose an average of 40 minutes of sleep each night, according to a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology.
The study found a slight increase in work-related injuries. However, the winter time adjustment does not record any of these consequences.
According to a study published in Current Biology in January 2020, fatal traffic accidents increased by 6% during the week following the DST change.
The authors conclude that discontinuing this seasonal time change is necessary to prevent an average of 28 fatal accidents per year.
As for heart attacks, they also recorded an increase in the first week, as the risk of heart attacks increased by 3%, according to a study published in the Journal of Sleep Medicine.
The study found that there was no change in heart attack rates with the adjustment for winter time.
A study published in 2017 in The Journal of Biological and Medical Rhythm Research revealed that this modification also affected the success of IVF in women trying to conceive, if the chances of its failure increased by 9%.
It warns that the disruption between circadian clocks and sleep-wake cycles by adopting daylight saving time over a period of time will increase rates of a variety of health problems associated with circadian rhythm disturbances, including type 2 diabetes, obesity and dementia.
Tips for a smoother transition to the new time
Being tired can reduce productivity, focus, and general well-being, but there are some simple ways to make it easier to deal with changing the clock, Time and Date reports :
- Set your body clock and get up a little earlier than usual in the week before daylight saving time. These preparations make it easier to get out of bed on Monday mornings and the first days of the week.
- Eat a healthy breakfast to let the body know that the day has officially begun.
- Take a walk at the beginning of the day, as sunlight and exercise adjust the body clock.
- Help children adjust by putting them to bed a little earlier during the week before the time change.