The official change of the seasons is marked for many by
daylight saving time. While the days may get a little shorter, you do get to
snag yourself some extra sleep! But, those extra zzz’s may not be as good for you
as you think. Keep reading below to find out about daylight saving time and the
affects it can have on your health.
The time may change through the year, but if you are an
aging senior who is living independently, your personal protection shouldn’t
change, but stay the same reliable service that can get you help fast. Living
solo can have major upsides, but at some point in time, you will run into a
life threatening emergency that could leave you injured and unable to reach for
help; then what? Under the safety of Life Alert you can live alone with
confidence because while wearing their lightweight, waterproof emergency
pendant, you can summon help fast with just one touch of a button. No matter
what life threatening emergency you may face, Life Alert’s dispatch team is
available 24/7 to send you the proper authorities fast. You don’t have to turn
back time to find great personal protection, get Life Alert today!
Real Simple[1]
is bringing you the truth about daylight saving time. Check out what health
experts believe to be the negative side effects of this common ritual we
practice and stay safe this year!
Falling back can
cause depression.
A 2016 Danish study, which examined 185,419 diagnoses of
depression between 1995 and 2012, found an eight percent rise in depression in
the days following the time change in the fall. "We are relatively certain
that it is the transition from daylight saving time to standard time that
causes the increase in the number of depression diagnoses and not, for example,
the change in the length of the day or bad weather. In fact, we take these
phenomena into account in our analyses," Søren D. Østergaard, one of the
five researchers behind the study wrote in the group's findings. "Our
results should give rise to increased awareness of depression in the weeks
following the transition to standard time. This is especially true for people
with a tendency towards depression–as well as their relatives. Furthermore, the
healthcare professionals who diagnose and treat depression should also take our
results into consideration.”
You’re more likely
to get into a car crash.
Gaining an extra hour of rest may seem OK, but it could
still be causing all of us to be groggy, which isn’t ideal for getting behind
the wheel. According to a 2001 study, there is an increased risk of traffic
accidents on the Saturday night before switching to daylight saving as more
people may be on the roads later than usual. “The behavioral adaptation
anticipating the longer day on Sunday of the shift from DST in the fall leads
to an increased number of accidents suggesting an increase in late night (early
Sunday morning) driving when traffic-related fatalities are high possibly
related to alcohol consumption and driving while sleepy,” the study concluded.
“Public health educators should probably consider issuing warnings both about
the effects of sleep loss in the spring shift and possible behaviors such as
staying out later, particularly when consuming alcohol in the fall shift.”
Falling back
increases your odds of having a stroke.
According to one Finnish study, the national incidence of
stroke rises by about eight percent over the two days following daylight saving
time transitions, WebMD reported. As to why that happens, it all comes down to
messing with our circadian sleep rhythms. "Sleep is associated with many
physiological changes that are normally thought of as being relatively
protective against stroke, like lower blood pressure," Dr. Andrew Lim, a
neurologist who was not involved in the study, shared.
You’re also more
likely to get mugged.
Apparently getting just a bit more sleep really inspires
people to commit crimes. According to a 2017 study by scientists at the
University of Pennsylvania who specialize in criminology, psychiatry, and
psychology, the assault rate spikes just after the clocks fall back. “Sleep
problems have previously been associated with increased antisocial and criminal
behavior, so we were surprised to find that increased sleep was associated with
increased offending,” study author Adrian Raine said in press release. “This
discrepancy is likely due to the fact that 40 to 60 minutes of lost sleep in
one night is just not the same as months, or even years, of poor sleep.”
Maybe Arizona and Hawaii are really onto something by forgoing
daylight saving after all! In a world when life can change in a day-light
second, it’s important to make the most of your time by always remaining safe.
No, you can’t change daylight saving time, but you can change how you handle
the negatives brought on by it. If you currently have no form of personal
protection, it’s time to make a change. Home safety has never been made easier
thanks to Life Alert Protection. While wearing their lightweight, waterproof
emergency pendant, you can summon an emergency medical response fast with just
one touch of a button. No matter if you encounter a home invasion, a home fire
or even a serious fall, Life Alert’s dispatch team is available 24/7 to send
you the proper authorities fast. Take the time to get your own Life Alert
medical alert system today! For a free Life Alert brochure call 1-800-513-2934.
Works Cited:
1.
Leasca, Stacey. “Daylight Saving Time Can
Actually Be Bad for Your Health—Here’s How.”
Real Simple. 1 November 2018. <https://www.realsimple.com/health/daylight-saving-time-health-risks
>.
