Clocks to go back in US tonight - but doctor warns it can affect your health
Clocks are going back in the US tonight - but a doctor has revealed how daylight saving time can affect your health.
This Sunday it might a be a little easier to make brunch dates and football games as the clocks go back in the US, giving everyone an extra hour in bed.
However, this also means that the sun will set before many people step foot out of the office.
This means they will have to run errands and go for walks in total darkness. After November 5, daylight saving time will be replaced with standard time, and it will last until March 10.
There's no need to wait until midnight to get ready for the time change, as 2am will become 1am. Before falling into bed on Saturday night, rewind the clock on the microwave, oven, car, or any other device which is not automated to make the switch on its own.
Experts say the twice-yearly ritual will have further serious effects on human health. Plenty of Americans are already sleep-deprived, and a time change further alters with sleep schedules, says sleep researcher Dr Phyllis Zee from Northwestern Medicine in Chicago.
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Experts say the twice-yearly ritual will have further serious effects on human health (Getty Images/iStockphoto)However, Dr Zee says that "falling back" and accruing an extra hour in bed tends to be easier than "springing forward" and losing one.
Chronic sleep deprivation tends to boost levels of stress hormones which boost heart rate and blood pressure. Research indicates that these chemicals trigger inflammation.
Zee said: "Just that one hour can change the amount of sleep you get, the quality of sleep that you get." Not getting enough sleep can affect people's ability to multitask, keep alter and maintain their balance, meaning they are more prone to accidents.
Molly Hart, spokeswoman for AAA's Auto Club Group, cautioned that there may be an increase in the number of road accidents due to the time change.
"Falling back" and accruing an extra hour in bed tends to be easier than "springing forward" and losing one (Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock)She said: "With daylight savings coming to an end, what people really need to be focused on is their driving now in the afternoon when it’s darker earlier."
Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and most of Arizona do not observe daylight saving time. Certain members of Congress want to end the back-and-forth and ensure daylight saving time is permanent.
In March 2022, the US Senate passed a bipartisan bill called the Sunshine Protection Act, however it stalled in the House. This year the bill was then re-introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio and referred to committee, where it has stayed idle.
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