Daylight Saving Time returns this weekend, and health experts say the loss of just one hour of sleep can have noticeable effects on the body.
Clocks across most of the United States will “spring forward” one hour at 2 a.m. Sunday, meaning people lose an hour of sleep but gain more evening daylight.
Sleep specialists at the Cleveland Clinic say the shift can temporarily disrupt the body’s natural sleep cycle. According to sleep psychologist Dr. Alicia Roth, the springtime change tends to be the hardest for people to adjust to because schedules stay the same even though the body loses sleep.
“Decades of research has shown losing an hour of sleep can lead to an increased risk for health problems,” Roth said. Studies have found that heart attacks, strokes and even motor vehicle crashes rise in the days following the switch to daylight saving time.
Doctors recommend getting morning sunlight to help reset your internal clock. Sunlight plays an important role in regulating sleep patterns because it helps signal to the brain when it’s time to wake up and when it is time to sleep.
Health experts say most people adjust within a few days, but anyone who continues to struggle with sleep weeks after the change may want to speak with a sleep specialist.
