How Daylight Savings Time Harms Your Health

Daylight Savings Time: love it or hate it, it’s been a staple of American life for many years now. Hundreds of years, to be precise. This month we take a deeper look at the history of Daylight Savings, and what the micro-shift means for your health and overall wellbeing.

The loose concept of Daylight Savings Time, or DST, was originally proposed in the United States by Benjamin Franklin in 1784. Franklin wrote an anonymous essay about how the Parisians were able to exercise thriftiness by getting out of bed an hour earlier each day, and thus being tired enough to go to bed an hour earlier in the nighttime, thereby saving money on candles. He purported that the savings would be astronomical, with a modern day (2020) equivalent of around $200 million! The essay, which was largely tongue-in-cheek, was observed by many who read it to be more of a joke, intended by Franklin to make light of the economic situation in the United States at the time, and little more came of it.

Fast forward about a hundred years to 1895, and we have a New Zealander, George Hudson, proposing the first actual daylight saving program, with a two-hour shift in time twice a year. He claimed the extra hours of daylight after a work shift beginning earlier in the morning would allow for more leisure time outside. In 1905, Englishman William Willett reported independently conceived of DST as well, complaining that Londoners were sleeping through a large part of the summer days while the sun was already shining. Although Willett continued to lobby for DST until his death in 1915, it was not signed into law until 1908 in Canada, in Britain in 1916 (a year after Willett’s death), and finally in the United States in 1918.

Since that time, the U.S. has been “springing forward” in the Spring and “falling back” in Autumn in the vast majority of states (with the exception of Arizona, who only observed DST for one year in 1967, and Hawaii, who never observed DST), with mixed reviews from its constituents.

Now that DST has been a significant part of U.S. citizens’ lives for over a hundred years, we’d like to discuss the darker, more sinister side of “saving daylight.”

Firstly, scientific studies have shown that DST, especially the shift that occurs during the Spring months, can cause significant amounts of sleep loss, mostly due to decreases in the actual quality of sleep experienced. When sleep loss is prevalent, all systems of the body may be affected.

Studies have shown that adjusting to the “micro-shift” (a 1-hour change in time) can actually be more disruptive than traveling across the country and having to adapt to several hours in time change. Whether “Spring-ing Forward” or “Fall-ing Back,” DST can lead to significant shifts in mood swings, immunity and cardiovascular health.

People may feel “less focused” and may notice significant decreases in motivation. Other studies have shown that memory changes may also be present.

By lowering our immunity, sleep loss may also lead to more viral susceptibility, meaning the current global pandemic we are going through could be even more of a threat. Awareness of this fact could furthermore add to stress levels, and thus increased cortisol levels, which can lead to irritability, increased blood pressure, headaches, anxiety, and even weight gain.

Finally, DST has been shown over time to eliminate bright morning sunlight, that is essential in synchronizing a person’s biological clock, which may put people at risk for stroke, heart attack, and cardiovascular disease. Scientists have proven that, in the weeks following the micro-shift in time, adults tend to lose between 15-20 minutes of sleep per day, which can have profound impacts on our overall wellness. A study of 732,000 accidents over two decades (here) found that the annual switch to DST is associated with a 6% increase in fatal car crashes and accidents in the week following the time change. Knowing this, it’s crucial to stay vigilant in our fight against the rigors of DST.

So what can be done? It takes effort, but we can combat the harmful affects of DST by intentionally going to bed a little bit earlier in the week prior to the shift in the spring, and sleeping a  little more in the week prior to the shift in the fall. Drinking more water near the end of the day can help to nourish the body and keep systems moving at optimal levels while we sleep and repair. And taking herbal formulas intended to support deep sleep can make the most of the sleep we do get following a DST shift. Compliance is required in taking herbs, but acupuncture can further assist in getting our bodies back to peak functioning by encouraging a homeostasis and hormonal balance.

So what are you waiting for? Schedule a session today through tele-medicine (online) or in-person and Herb + Legend can help you get back to your best sleep, and your best Self! 😴