Issue 11.11
Last week America set their clocks ahead by an hour as Daylight Saving Time (DST) began March 13. “Springing forward” creates another hour of sunlight in the evening. It also has some effects on health and public safety that many people are unaware of. DST has mixed effects on an individual’s health. Transitions into and out of DST can disturb your sleeping patterns, for example, and make you more restless at night. Night owls tend to be more bothered by the time changes than people who like mornings. There are some health benefits to Daylight Savings Time including extra daily sunshine later in the day could boost the health of your teeth and sunshine boost your body’s vitamin D which is crucial for calcium absorption.
How does the increase in sunshine in the morning affect my health?
· More sunshine in the morning is a good for your health. The morning darkness could keep your biological clock in ‘winter mode’. During the winter months, the population as a whole can exhibit an increase in depressive symptoms. Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in addition to depression include: sleep problems, cravings for sweets and other carbohydrates, sluggishness and headaches.
· People are safer drivers during daylight hours. Researchers have found that DST reduces lethal car crashes and pedestrian strikes. In fact, a study concluded that observing DST year-round would annually prevent about 195 deaths of motor vehicle occupants and about 171 pedestrian fatalities.
Tips to ease your body into the new “time zone” the next few weeks:
· Go to bed a little earlier each night – even 15 minutes earlier can make a difference
· Get up 15 minutes earlier successively—this will help your body adjust to the time change
· At night, limiting exposure to light is important, though that’s easier said than done because things like laptops and LCD television screens emit light that’s particularly alerting to one’s body clock. Snacks rich in tryptophan — milk, bananas, almonds, pistachios — are also a good idea.
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