Can CHANGING TIME impact how we feel and react to the world around us?
Yes, changing the time on clocks can negatively impact our health, particularly by disrupting our sleep patterns and circadian rhythm, which can lead to reduced alertness and potentially impair driving skills, especially in the days following the time change; studies often show a spike in car accidents after "springing forward" due to sleep deprivation.
Are you sluggish when you start the new day and the new week?
Time changes can significantly impair cognitive functions and slow reaction times, which are critical for safe driving. The abrupt shift in time can lead to sleep inertia, a state of grogginess and reduced alertness that occurs immediately after waking.
Research suggests a correlation between time changes and increased car accidents, particularly in the days following the transition due to reduced alertness.
Time changes can also contribute to mood disturbances and irritability.
Those are not the only negatives of “time change”. People with pre-existing health conditions like heart disease may experience increased symptoms after a time change.
How to mitigate the effects of time change:
- Prioritize sleep: Make sure to get enough sleep in the days leading up to and following the time change.
- Be extra cautious when driving: Be aware of potential drowsiness and drive defensively after a time change.
Relax and enjoy the change in TIME. It must be good for us, after all the world has been changing to Daylight Saving Time first implemented in the United States on March 19, 1918.
