Daylight saving time will commence at 2 a.m. March 10, when clocks move a full hour ahead, according to Time and Date. Ultimately, an hour will be taken out of the day for most U.S. states.
Despite the time switch being a simple process, DST can have consequences in regard to one’s health. This change alters one’s exposure to sunlight, which has ramifications for achieving quality sleep. For instance, drivers are more likely to experience drowsiness, which is linked to an increase of traffic accidents the week following DST, according to assistant professor in the department of counseling psychology and affiliate faculty at the Center for Healthy Minds Simon Goldberg.
Additionally, the act of moving an hour ahead may negatively affect one’s circadian rhythm, according to UW Health psychologist Shilagh Mirgain.
“We find that in the morning without having that exposure to light it can decrease levels of the mood boosting hormone serotonin,” Mirgain said. “If we’re not having that kind of dark environment [at night], and we’re having more light in the evening that can delay the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps you fall asleep.”
The average person will, on average, get 40 minutes less time for sleep the Monday after DST in comparison to other nights of the year, Mirgain said. Considering that quality sleep is vital for maintaining a balanced physical and mental well-being this small change becomes significant, Mirgain said. When a person is well-rested they experience higher levels of efficiency, less errors in their work and better decision-making, according to Psychreg. Achieving quality sleep may be especially difficult for college students who often find themselves staying up late to study or going out during late hours on the weekends, according to Mirgain.
Further, DST may put an individual at higher risk for seasonal affective disorder, according to previous reporting by The Badger Herald. SAD is a form of clinical depression that occurs for individuals during particular times of the year, according to the National Institute for Mental Health. For those who experience SAD, treatment options may include acquiring a light box that produces 10,000 lux units of exposure for thirty minutes, opening curtains to let light in or going outside more, according to Mirgain.
“It typically happens for people during winter months and it is believed to be related to the biochemical processes that are set in motion by exposure to light,” Goldberg said.
Ultimately, to alleviate the potential consequences of DST, Mirgain suggests students take proactive steps.
“I would recommend for people to start to adjust their bedtime and wake time – ten minutes earlier each day, or fifteen minutes or even twenty minutes,” Mirgain said. “Each day you’re pushing it back by ten to fifteen minutes, so it’s not such a huge adjustment on Sunday.”
