Twice a year, California and most of the United States shift between standard and daylight savings time. This change during both shifts can cause detriments to one’s health, leading to increased health risks, mental health, and mood.
Daylight savings time occurs between March and November when time zones “spring forward,” causing many to lose an hour of sleep. This one hour may seem insignificant, but its absence can be dangerous to a person’s overall health.
Circadian rhythms are the natural clock in a person’s body. It adapts to the natural cycle of time, which is PST for Californians. It recognizes the appropriate times to eat lunch, go to sleep, and when to wake up. Changing this schedule and moving this timeline forward can cause several health drawbacks.
Hormonal changes brought on by sleep disruptions can affect a person’s mood as well as their sleep habits. Sleep deprivation, or a lack of sleep, causes problems in a person’s mood, “creating an increase in anxiety, irritability, depression, and exhaustion” (Pepitone, 2019.) Changes in sleep are felt primarily by teenagers due to their need for more rest and already unbalanced hormones.
According to Northwestern Medicine, a non-profit corporation, the rate of strokes increases by 8%, cardiovascular disease increases by 24%, and depression spikes, with episodes increasing by 11%. Additionally, the chance of fatal car accidents increases by 6% due to the lack of sleep (NM.org, 2021).
While it may seem overwhelming, there are ways to make this transition easier. Here are some suggestions and tips by the CDC and Northwestern Medicine on adjusting to daylight savings and maintaining your health!
1. Try to go to bed 15 or 20 minutes earlier each night before the time changes. This will give your body a chance to adjust.
2. Begin to transition the timing of other daily routines that are “time cues” for your body. For example, start eating dinner a little earlier each night or exercising slightly earlier in the morning.
3. Consider reducing any critical or physically/mentally demanding tasks to allow yourself time to adjust to the time change, since it can take one week for the body to adapt.
4. Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep each night. The night before DST starts, go to bed one hour earlier than normal to prepare.
California is currently in pacific standard time (PST), which also has its own set of disadvantages. While the shift in sleep patterns and circadian rhythms is similar, the shift in time can be less stressful on the body as time “falls back.” Gaining an hour of sleep allows the body to adjust quickly. For instance, PDT forces a person to lose sleep and has the aforementioned negative effects. On the other hand, PST allows a person to wake up at the same time they would have done before the change.
However, depression can increase during the period of PST due to the lack of sunlight. The sun sets earlier after the Summer solstice, causing less time for daylight every day. When clocks “fall back,” the sun sets even earlier than it typically does. So, instead of the sunset at 6:00 p.m., it now starts to go down around 4:00 p.m.
To fight this and continue to get a healthy amount of sunlight, it’s essential to spend more time outside. The transition between PST and PDT can be made smoother by decreasing caffeine intake, beginning to adjust sleep schedules a week or two before, limiting screen time, and knowing how each change affects you.
Pacific standard time will switch to daylight savings time on Sunday, March 12, 2023, and will end Sunday, November 5, 2023.
Sources:
Here Comes the Sun! Tips to Adapt to Daylight Saving Time | Blogs | CDC. (2022, March 8). https://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2022/03/08/time-change/
Northwestern Medicine Staff. (2021, February 23). Daylight Saving Time and Your Health. Northwestern Medicine. https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/daylight-savings-time-your-health
Pepitone, J. (2019, November 3). Daylight saving time: 4 surprising health effects of “falling back.” MSNBC.com. https://www.msnbc.com/know-your-value/feature/daylight-saving-time-4-surprising-health-effects-falling-back-ncna929546
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