Once again, it’s time to take a long, hard look at the clock on your car’s dashboard and wonder, “How do I change the time on this again?”
Daylight saving time is again upon us, and for most, the minor annoyance of losing one hour of precious weekend sleep is mitigated by the promise of more hours of early evening sunshine.
But how else does this time change affect our health?
Studies have shown that daylight saving time can have a negative effect on our circadian rhythms, those internal clocks that help regulate our sleep and wake-up patterns.
In a nutshell, when we “spring forward” this weekend, it may have a much bigger impact on us than just losing an hour at night.
Experts say the effects on our sleep and bodies can linger for months.
In 2007, German researchers reported that your body clock isn’t as easy to change as the clock on the kitchen wall. We may think we’re springing forward, but our body clocks tend to stay stubbornly stuck. Our bodies and sleep patterns adjust well when we move back an hour in the fall, but we struggle with the transition in the spring, especially night owls.
Congress has discussed, but not voted on, bills that would eliminate the federally mandated time change. In the meantime, the U.S. Department of Transportation is studying how that might affect traffic safety, among other things. For now, there are ways to make the transition easier.
Exercise, if you can. Make a bedtime routine to help you wind down and feel ready for sleep. Also, try to go to bed and wake up about a consistent time each day.
Those changes should help you catch some zzz’s and get the rest you need.