Washington (AP) – Most of America “springs forward” Sunday for summer time and losing this sleep hour can do more than you let tired and grumpy the next day. It could also harm your health.
WATCH: The history of summer time and its effect on our health
The darker mornings and more evening light, one -of -the -way, hit your body clock – which means that the day’s reduction time can inaugurate sleep problems for weeks or more. Studies have even found an increase in heart attacks and brain vascular accidents just after the time change in March.
There are ways to relieve adjustment, including receiving more sun to help reset your circadian pace for healthy sleep.
When does summer time start?
Summer time begins on Sunday at 2 am, an hour of sleep disappearing in most of the United States, the ritual inverse on November 2 when the clocks “fold” at the end of the summer hour.
Hawaii and most Arizona are not just changing, respecting standard times all year round with Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam and the US Virgin Islands. Around the world, dozens of countries also observe summer time, starting and ending on different dates.
Some people are trying to prepare for the jolt of daylight time by going to bed a little earlier two or three nights in advance. With a third of American adults not already getting the recommended seven hours of SHUTEYE NOCTURNES, the catch -up can be difficult.
What happens to your brain when it is lighter later?
The brain has a main clock which is defined by exposure to sun and darkness. This circadian rhythm is a cycle of around 24 hours which determines when we become sleepy and when we are more alert. The models change with age, one of the reasons why young people from start -up to the height evolve as adolescents that are difficult to wake up.
The morning light resets the rhythm. In the evening, the levels of a hormone called melatonin begin to increase, triggering drowsiness. Too much light in the evening – this additional summer hour – delays this increase and the cycle synchronizes.
Sleep deprivation is linked to heart disease, cognitive decline, obesity and many other problems. And this circadian clock affects more than sleep, also influencing things like heart rate, blood pressure, stress hormones and metabolism.
How does the time change affect your health?
The accidents of the mortal car temporarily jump the first days after the spring change, according to a study of the deaths of American traffic. The risk was the highest in the morning and the researchers attributed it to sleep deprivation.
Then there is the cardiac connection. The American Heart Association underlines studies that suggest an increase in heart attacks on Monday after daylight, the savings time begins, and in lines for two days later.
Find out more: Why do clocks progress forward?
Doctors already know that heart attacks, especially serious, are a little more frequent on Monday in general – and in the morning, when blood is more subject to the clot.
Researchers do not know why the time change would add to this Monday connection, but it is possible that the abrupt circadian disturbance exacerbates factors such as high blood pressure in people already at risk.
How to prepare for summer time
Change of diapers, about 15 or 20 minutes earlier for several nights before the change, and also increase the next morning. Get out for the sun early in the morning this first week of summer hour, another way of helping to reset the internal clock of your body. Mount the daily routines, such as dinner time or when you exercise, can also help you indicate your body to start adapting, advises sleep experts.
The afternoon naps and caffeine as well as evening light from phones and other electronic devices can make the adjustment more difficult to bed earlier.
Will the United States never eliminate the change in time?
Each year, we are talking about finishing the change in time. In December, the president of the time, Donald Trump, promised to eliminate the summer time. In recent years, a Bipartisan bill has appointed the Sun protection law For the summer time, permanent stalled at the congress; It was reintroduced this year.
But this is the opposite of what certain health groups recommend. The American Medical Association and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine agree that it is time to delete time switches but to say stay with standard time All year round aligns better with the sun – and human biology – for a more coherent sleep.
The Department of Health and Sciences of the Associated Press receives the support of the scientific and educational group of the media from the medical institute Howard Hughes and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.