When famed New Zealander entomologist George Hudson proposed the idea of daylight saving time (DST) in 1895, his main goal was to allow people to carry out after-work activities while there is still enough daylight available.
While the practice has its fair share of advantages, some people argue that the constant adjustment of clocks because of DST is causing them to lose at least an hour of sleep, which in turn significantly affects their health and work production.
With this year's DST set to begin on Sunday, March 13, here are a few things that you need to know about this seasonal time shift and what you can do to prevent it from affecting your life in the coming days.
Impact Of Switching To Daylight Saving Time On People's Health
Transitioning to DST has been found to produce several changes in people's schedules, especially the time they set aside for sleep. This is because the internal clock of their body fails to make the necessary adjustment to reflect the change in their daily schedule.
In the United States, people tend to lose an average of 40 minutes of sleep time whenever they adjust their clocks each spring. This can significantly mess up their sleep cycles, causing them to experience mood disruptions and become increasingly irritable.
Dr. Charles Czeisler, a sleep doctor from the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Massachusetts, explained that when people are deprived of sleep, their amygdala becomes much more sensitive to disturbing images than when they are able to get enough rest.
Those who don't get ample time to sleep each day also suffer poor levels of performance, concentration and memory.
There have also been studies that suggest that sleep-deprived individuals experience a reduction in their motor skills, leaving them more vulnerable to accidents particularly in their workplace.
Vehicle accidents also become more common whenever people undergo shifts to daylight saving time.
A new study set to appear in the American Economic Journal in April examined car crashes that occurred before and after DST in the United States over a 10-year period. It found that the number of vehicular accidents increased by as much as 6 percent immediately after the start of DST.
How To Avoid Losing Sleep Because Of DST
1. Start your day early.
Dr. Kelly Brown, a sleep researcher at Vanderbilt University, advises people to engage in activities under sunlight in the morning before the start of daylight saving time. Exposing yourself to the bright light of the sun causes your body to pull its internal clock forward and allows you to assume regular sleep patterns despite the adjustment in time.
This can also be done using electronic devices with bright lights, such as TV or computer screens, to substitute for the lack of sunshine.
2. Go to sleep 15 minutes earlier every night.
Another way to let your body adjust to the time shift is by going to sleep about 15 minutes early on days prior to changing for daylight saving time.
Some people find it difficult to go to bed an hour earlier than what they are accustomed to. However, there are other ways to let the body adjust its internal clock.
If you're struggling to go to sleep an hour earlier, you can try getting up an hour earlier in days before the start of DST instead. Your internal clock may still take some time before it could adjust to the change entirely, but Brown said that it is much easier to let it move forward gradually than forcing it to make a bigger change.
3. Avoid bright lights during the evenings before the start of DST.
People should stay away from objects with bright lights, such as smartphones, tablets and computers screens, during the evenings leading up to the start of daylight saving time as these could affect the body's adjustment to the shift. The lights in homes should also be dimmed on these nights.
If you're still having a hard time going to sleep regularly and you continue to experience fatigue two weeks after the DST shift, you may need to consult your doctor and undergo medical analysis. There are effective treatments for sleep disorders available.
Photo: Daniel Novta | Flickr
