PHILADELPHIA — We will spring our clocks forward by an hour on March 10 for Daylight Saving Time, which means we’ll lose an hour of sleep.
The switch is the subject of a lot of debate, but there are ways to make the transition easier.
A 2022 poll by Monmouth University found six in 10 Americans, 61%, would like to do away with the nation’s twice-a-year time change.
If springing forward seems to affect your mood, sleep medicine expert Dr. Ilene Rosen says it’s not your imagination.
“People can go from being just a little irritable, a little burnt out, to floridly cranky and depressed,” said Dr. Rosen, MSCE, Sleep Medicine Division at the University of Pennsylvania.
Rosen also says even though it’s just one hour, that loss of sleep can be dangerous.
“There’s an increase of fatal motor vehicle crashes on top of increased crashes. So that’s one risk. Another one is cardiovascular events, more heart attacks, more strokes,” she said.
Hundreds of bills and resolutions have been introduced to get rid of the seasonal time changes.
“First and foremost, people want to do away with the change in the clocks twice a year. And then if they have to make a decision, more people support permanent Daylight Saving Time,” said St. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (D) Pennsylvania.
Mackenzie has introduced a bill to make Daylight Saving Time year-round.
“What we’ve seen and heard from interest groups is that it actually does benefit commerce and retail, they find that more people are going to go shopping in the evenings.”
But Rosen does not support permanent Daylight Saving Time, saying our bodies need light in the morning to re-orient.
“The standard time is the one that really matches our clocks,” she said.
Again, because of the lack of morning light, kids are forced to go to school in the dark and only 35% want to keep it.
Rosen says one study shows an increase in hospital admissions and human error in medical environments.
“The American Academy of Sleep Medicine is really against and does not support the idea of permanent Daylight Saving Time,” he said.
Regardless, there are ways to at least ease the transition. Days before, gradually shift the time you wake up earlier and earlier.
Dr. Rosen recommends doing this in 15-minute increments.
Also, shift your activity times. If you exercise in the morning, start a little earlier. In the evening, start having dinner earlier.
And make these changes as a family, don’t just focus on changing your kids’ behaviors. It’s best to do it together.
For more information:
Increase in fatal motor vehicle crashes
Cardiovascular events
Risk of stroke
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