If you hate summer timeyou are not alone. According to a YouGov 2023 survey62% of American adults would like to stop moving their clocks forward and back every year. However, when asked to choose a fixed time instead of daylight saving time, there is no majority: 50% would like permanent daylight saving time, 31% want permanent standard time, 12 % have no preference and 7% are unsure of their answer.

First suggested by Benjamin Franklin, daylight saving time refers to the practice of setting clocks forward one hour during the spring months (usually March or April) and setting clocks back one hour in the fall. The goal was to grant an extra hour of daylight in the evening during the summer months, while extending the same courtesy during the winter mornings. In return, people could save more energy by using sunlight.

Experiencing these changes can have significant impacts on our health. Notes by John Hopkins that during daylight saving time, people experience more stress, leading to increased traffic deaths, hospitalizations for serious health consequences like strokes and heart attacks and much more .

Our guide explains how Daylight Saving Time affects your body from a mental and physical perspective. We’ll also explain how it affects your physical activity and ways to prepare your body for it.

Impact of Daylight Saving Time on Mental Health

One of the biggest impacts of DST is lack of sleep, especially as you move forward. When your body doesn’t get enough sleep, it affects the frontal lobe of your brain. Think of your frontal lobe as your best friend that doesn’t let you act on your impulses. Well, when you don’t sleep well or get enough of it, it impacts your frontal lobe’s ability to make sound decisions. As such, you are more prone to making impulsive decisions.

Meanwhile, when you move back into the later months of the year, your body doesn’t get as much sunlight. When this happens, your body fails to produce enough serotonin — a chemical that improves mood. In turn, you feel like your energy is depleted and you may be more susceptible to mood swings, which could put you in a state of low energy. risk of depression. AARP found that once people moved their clocks back to fall, there was a 11% increase in depression.

Impacts of Daylight Saving Time on Physical Health

Aside from mental health, there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that DST also has a physical impact on our bodies. Let’s start with your sleep cycle. In the spring, when you move your clocks forward an hour, it can disrupt your the body’s internal clock because you go to bed later and wake up earlier than usual. It doesn’t go away on its own. This can last as long as daylight saving time.

Changes in hormonal regulation

This rhythm disturbance can manifest itself in other ways. When you change the clock to daylight saving time, it impacts your body’s ability to rhythmically produce melatonin. The reason is that your body is used to produce melatonin when it’s dark outside. If you have a precedent bedtimebut it’s still daylight when you go to bed, so this can impact your body’s ability to produce it. When your body doesn’t produce enough melatonin, it leads to other health problems such as sleep disordersmood swings, increased anxiety and high estrogen and progesterone ratios.

Increased risk of heart problems

Because you sleep less because of Daylight Saving Time, it’s not uncommon to see an increase in heart problems right after the time change. Research has found that there is an increase heart attacks And blows for the first two weeks after the time change, with the highest risk being the first three days of the week after the time change. Since your body sleeps less, it produces more stress. Moreover, as summer time disrupts circadian rhythmsit can increase heart rate, blood pressure, and production of the stress hormone cortisol. The good news is that after the first two weeks of the time change, the risk of heart problems like stroke or heart attack is lower.

Impact on metabolism and weight regulation

DST can also slow metabolism and produce hunger hormones like leptin and ghrelin. The production of hunger hormones occurs when your body is not getting adequate sleep – think seven to nine hours a night. These hormones also don’t direct you to the produce aisle at your grocery store. This can trigger high-calorie cravings, which can interfere with weight regulation.

Effects of Daylight Saving Time on Daily Activities and Productivity

Because your the body might have difficulty adjusting to daylight saving timeIt’s no surprise that you might see a drop in efficiency by going through this step. This is due to a lack of sleep, as daylight saving time disrupts your body’s internal clock. In turn, the entrepreneur discovered increase in incidents cyberloafing on the Monday following daylight saving time. Because you’re tired, your body spends more time focusing on less active activities like browsing the web.

Impact on exercise routines and physical activity levels

Daylight saving time also has an impact on physical activities. Because you might feel more tired from a lack of sleepyou are less inclined to adopt more physically demanding activities exerciseswhich can improve your physique and mental health. Additionally, as your body lacks sleep, it can produce higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol. High cortisol levels can lead to rapid weight gain, muscle weakness and higher blood pressure.

Changes in social interactions and relationships

The Wall Street Journal found that Daylight Saving Time Can Also Impact Our Relationships negatively. Think about times when you haven’t gotten enough sleep: you’re usually more irritable, more quick to react, and don’t listen to people. This creates a tense situation in which you may get into more arguments with your loved ones, colleagues and friends.

Worse yet, you might get back together. When you’re tired, you’re less likely to participate in social events since you’re already exhausted, and just the thought of attending them causes more stress.

Impact of daylight saving time on vulnerable populations

Children and adolescents

There are certain age groups on whom DST has a greater impact than most. Let’s start with children and adolescents. Since children have to go to school early, this can lead to sleep deprivation issues for many when moving the clock forward. Their bodies aren’t used to it being lighter as bedtime approaches. So, they might not fall asleep when they should. When they don’t get enough sleep, they experience drowsiness, increased mood swings, and an inability to concentrate.

Meanwhile, in the fall, they also don’t get enough sunlight since they are at school most of the day. This leads to a decrease in serotonin, making children and adolescents are more susceptible to depression.

Elderly people

Just like children, elderly people also experience problems with sleep disruption due to daylight saving time. For this reason, it is important to refrain from driving when sleep deprived because your body’s frontal lobe does not process information quickly enough, leading to impulsive decisions that can increase the risk of car accidents. the road. Additionally, it is also important to respect meal and medication schedules. As people age, they may become more confused about what time this occurs based on the changing environment outside.

People with pre-existing health conditions

Daylight saving time can worsen pre-existing health conditions by increasing risk factors. To demonstrate, if you have higher blood pressure, daylight saving time can impact your sleep quality. Over time, this can raise your heart rate and blood pressure even higher, putting you at greater risk of stroke. That’s why, if you have an underlying health condition, it’s essential to consult your doctor about ways to mitigate the impacts of DST.

Tips for Preparing for Daylight Saving Time

Let’s start with DST 2024. It starts on Sunday, March 10, 2024 at 2 a.m. and ends on Sunday, November 3, 2024 at 2 a.m. Knowing this information in advance can help you take steps to prepare. your body for the changes it will face.

• Set a sleep schedule: On this front, as you get closer to setting your clock ahead an hour, plan your sleep schedule accordingly. Start by going to bed 15 to 20 minutes earlier each night. Start a few weeks before you set your clock and increase each week in 15- to 20-minute intervals until you go to bed an hour earlier. This might seem lame at first, but it also prepares your body for the time change.
• Eliminate distractions: Don’t eat spicy fooddrink coffee or play on your phone right before bed. Instead, take time to relax, read a book, or relax.
• Adjust workouts for maximum sunlight: If you are used to taking a lot of time walk in the afternoon in spring and summer, change this for fall and winter mornings. This allows you to receive more sunlight, increasing serotonin production.
• Set meal times: If you used to eat dinner at 7 p.m. before moving forward, continue moving forward at the same time. Similar to your sleep schedule, adjust meal times in 15- to 20-minute intervals as Daylight Saving Time approaches.
• Find creative outlets: Winter is hard because the sun doesn’t shine much and it can become easy to feel isolated and depressed. When you can’t get outside to exercise, find a creative hobby that will allow you to focus on something else with a goal in mind. Achieving your goals is a great way to increase dopamine and serotonin production, which can prevent anxiety and depression.