I think, in reality, by October or November, we’ve gotten over the March transition. Is there any research looking at the kind of long-term versus short-term impacts of these changes? I imagine people are experiencing negative effects every year. I think there are probably also some genetic factors that we’re not aware of that would make people more susceptible.
I don’t think we know enough yet about what factors influence our ability to adapt. Our ability to deal with being up later or earlier, depending on the time change, can affect us as well. Some of us are morning people, and some of us are night owls. People with underlying conditions oftentimes struggle more-people with neurodevelopmental conditions or degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia will be more sensitive. So younger people do better than older people. As we get older, our circadian rhythm or just our ability to deal with sleep deprivation is affected. Some people definitely seem to be more vulnerable. Are some people more vulnerable than others? And if so, what is known about why they are more at risk? You mentioned that not everybody is affected equally by the time changes. Whenever we disrupt sleep or disrupt our circadian rhythm, it can cause increases in inflammatory markers and our stress response-and we know that can take a toll on the heart and the brain. We think that what’s triggering that is either the loss of an hour of sleep or the circadian misalignment, where you’re off sync when you move the clocks an hour ahead. The predominant increase has been with the switch from standard to daylight in March. We don’t know the actual mechanism because these are epidemiological studies, where there are large numbers of people, and observe the stroke rate or heart attack rate increase the week after. Can you talk a bit about how daylight saving changes can increase the risk for these kinds of events? You wrote a commentary in JAMA Neurology last year that discusses some medical complications -such as cardiovascular problems and stroke-associated with the transitions. It’s a misalignment of your biological rhythms, or circadian rhythms, for eight months out of the year. It’s kind of like traveling from Nashville,, to New York -going from Central to Eastern time.” But really isn’t that. The one thing I will say is that people think, “Well, it’s only an hour, so it’s not a big deal. Some people are affected by jet lag more than others. It’s similar to when we travel to Europe. Other people may deal with the change more easily. People also tell me they just feel out of sync for a while. Some people have shared with me that, for example, they might have a child with autism, and for two or three months after the transition, they feel like things are just not right with their child’s sleep. There’s a lot of variability in what people experience. Generally speaking, how disruptive are the transitions to and from daylight saving to physical and mental well-being? The end of daylight saving time is fast approaching.
WHEN DOES TIME CHANGE HOW TO
Last year the European Parliament voted to abolish the time shifts, but the member states of the European Union have yet to agree on how to implement the decision.īeth Malow, a professor of neurology and pediatrics at Vanderbilt University, spoke with Scientific American about the health effects of this timekeeping practice and what should replace it. Hawaii and most of Arizona decided to adopt just standard time more than 50 years ago. In the U.S., many states are considering, or have already passed, legislation to adopt one of the two. Governments around the world have been in discussions about scrapping the seasonal clock changes and sticking to one time-either permanent standard time or permanent daylight saving. In many countries, this might be the one of the last instances in which people make the adjustment.
There is also evidence of increases in traffic fatalities and harmful medical errors shortly following when clocks are moved forward in the spring. Scientists have been calling attention to the damaging effects of the time changes-which include a general reduction in mental and physical well-being, as well as a potential increased risk of serious complications, such as strokes and heart attacks, soon after the shifts. This system’s twice-a-year transitions have become increasingly unpopular. It’s nearly that time of the year again: the end of daylight saving, when Americans push their clocks back and rejoice at the gained hour of sleep-or mourn the lost hour of sunlight in the afternoon. Editor’s Note (11/5/21): This story from October 29, 2020, is being republished ahead of November 7, when daylight saving time will end this year and clocks will be turned back one hour.
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