Since Sunday, November 3, we have entered Daylight Savings Time. Clocks were adjusted forward one hour near the start of spring and are adjusted backward in fall.
The easy way to remember which way to change your clocks is, “spring forward, fall back” or “spring ahead, fall behind.”
The idea was first introduced in Germany during the First World War aimed at saving energy, so that people don’t sleep through the first few hours of sunshine in the spring. In the fall, the clocks are readjusted to the proper “local standard time” when the daylight period gets shorter.
I had never heard about DST until I came to Canada. Majority of countries in Africa and Asia don’t use DST. It will probably also come as a surprise to learn that Saskatchewan and some parts of B.C. don’t use it and neither do Arizona and Hawaii in the U.S.
For most of us, the switch to daylight savings time is a cause of celebration as we enjoy an extra hour of sleep. It’s a bonus all right but that also comes with a trade-off. Researchers have found that losing an hour can have adverse effects on one’s body and mind.
“Disturbed sleep is associated with depression, memory and learning impairments, cardiovascular and metabolic disease risk factors (diabetes and heart disease), obesity, and impaired ability to fight infections,” says Dr. Phyllis Zee, director of Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Sleep Disorders Center in Illinois.
Doesn’t matter which way to turn the clock, forward or backward, Dr Zee says circadian misalignment — the difference between the timing of a person’s natural internal clock and their required work or sleep/wake schedule — can occur, resulting in “increase risk for mood disorders, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke and breast cancer.”
In the fall, availability of reduced daylight can lead to obesity and chronic illness due to lack of exercise, according to Mayer Hillman, a fellow from the U.K.-based Policy Studies Institute.
A Toronto-base dietician, Anar Alidina, who says the best way to prepare for daylight saving time is to develop healthy habits, suggests the best solution for all this.
“Exercise regularly, as it’s been shown to help reduce stress, prevent weight gain and helps boosts your mood, which can ward off depression,” she advises.
“Also, keep fresh healthy food on hand to help you feel energized during daylight saving. With long winter days ahead of us, it’s so easy and convenient to turn to comfort foods that are often high in fat and sugar.”
According to Patrick Chen of Global News, nine more pedestrians are hurt or killed in Toronto in the week after the fall time change than in the weeks before or following, police statistics show. Globalnews.ca analyzed 10 years of Toronto pedestrian accident data, which showed that
From 2000 to 2009, an average of 46.8 pedestrians were injured in the week before the fall time change; 57.5 were hurt in the week following the fall time change; and 50.8 in the week following that.
As it is, our daily routine is so busy and full of schedules that problems may occur if we don’t have enough sleep. Cell phones, constant emails and around the clockwork days makes it more challenging for Canadians to get restful sleep.
Ryerson University professor HYPERLINK “http://www.ryerson.ca/psychology/faculty/carney/”Dr. Colleen Carney, who has been studying sleep for more than 15 years and runs a HYPERLINK “http://drcolleencarney.com/”sleep lab at Ryerson, told Global News that people should create a drive for deep sleep, set a daily sleep schedule and avoid taking problems to bed.
