Yipes! It’s that time of year again when we “fall back,” rather than “spring forward.” I love getting an extra hour (that should happen every Sunday!), but think the whole time change thing has very little value in this day and age. Plus, it comes with a number of minuses that were mentioned in an article I featured a number of years ago.

This in-depth post by Dr Mercola brings up even more ways switching back and forth is hard on us, not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally…..

Health-Saving Tips for Transition to Standard Time

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

In the United States, daylight saving time (DST), which began Sunday, March 10, 2019, ends Sunday November 3, 2019. On that day, at 2 a.m. local time, clocks “fall back” one hour to 1 a.m., to what’s known as standard time
March 26, 2019, the European parliament voted to end DST as of 2021
While the original intention was that extending daylight hours during the summer would result in energy savings, research shows it’s not saving us any money, and is contributing to ill health
Researchers have noticed a statistically significant increase in the number of car accidents, workplace injuries and heart attacks in the days after the time changes in the spring, which appear to be related to loss of sleep and circadian rhythm disruptions
While the most adverse health effects are attributed to the springtime switch to DST, the switch back to Standard Time in the fall means your body has to get used to it getting dark earlier in the evening. Tips to help your body adjust to the time change are included

In the United States, daylight saving time (DST), which began Sunday, March 10, 2019, ends Sunday November 3, 2019. On that day, at 2 a.m. local time, clocks “fall back” one hour to 1 a.m., to what’s known as standard time.

In Europe, clocks are rolled back an hour on the last Sunday of October, which this year falls on October 27. Regardless of the exact day, this time change from DST to standard time results in the gain of one hour of sleep.

While the loss or gain of one hour might sound like a negligible amount, research clearly shows it has significant ramifications for public health and safety — particularly after the switch to DST in the spring. However, even the switch back to standard time can leave you feeling off-kilter for days or even weeks, as your body adapts to the earlier onset of darkness.

Europe Ditches DST Effective 2021

Many Europeans are now rejoicing. March 26, 2019, the European parliament voted to end DST as of 2021, so they only have two more years of clock-changing to deal with. As reported by The Guardian, member states will be allowed to “choose whether to remain on ‘permanent summer’ or ‘permanent winter’ time under the draft directive.”

This means that countries opting to remain permanently on “summertime” (the term used for DST in Europe) would perform their last and final clock adjustment on the last Sunday in March 2021. For countries opting to remain in permanent wintertime/standard time, the final adjustment would take place on the last Sunday of October 2021.

While some U.S. states and territories have abolished DST, most have not. However, the tide is starting to turn even in the U.S. Each year, more states are considering taking action to end it.

As reported by National Geographic, dozens of state bills have been introduced in 2019, proposing various changes to DST. Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, California, Oregon and Washington are all considering legislation to opt out of the time change.

Why Do We Have DST?

As explained in the featured video, daylight saving time is intended to give you more access to daylight hours, thereby reducing energy costs and promoting healthy outdoor activities.

But is it worth it? Kazakhstan abolished DST as of 2005, citing health complications as the reason for its decision. In 2011, Russia’s president Dmitry Medvedev also canceled DST due to the “stress and illness” it causes.

While the original intention was that extending daylight hours during the summer would result in energy savings, research shows it’s not saving us any money. For starters, lighting is no longer the most significant portion of energy consumption, and extending daylight hours encourages greater use of air conditioning and heating, both of which use more energy than lighting. A study by Yale economist Matthew Kotchen and Laura Grant, Ph.D., concluded that:

“… contrary to the policy’s intent — DST increases residential electricity demand. Estimates of the overall increase are approximately 1 percent, but we find that the effect is not constant throughout the DST period. DST causes the greatest increase in electricity consumption in the fall, when estimates range between 2 and 4 percent.”

Kotchen notes when DST begins in the spring, people are waking during the coldest and darkest part of the day, often turning up the heat to stay warm, and during long evening hours, more air conditioning is used, leading to an overall higher energy use. He told The New York Times, “The way people use energy now is different from when daylight saving came about.”

Similarly, a 2018 meta-analysis of 44 different papers found that, on average, DST lowered electricity use by a mere 0.34%. Locations further from the equator, with mild summers and low cooling demands, may save energy, but geographical locations closer actually use more energy during DST.

DST Increases Traffic Accidents

Aside from failing to provide any significant energy savings, the biannual clock changes also have a detrimental impact on your physical health. Between accidents and health repercussions, it seems clear DST is actually costing more than it’s saving.

Researchers have noticed a statistically significant increase in the number of car accidents, workplace injuries and heart attacks in the days after the time changes in the spring, which appear to be related to loss of sleep and circadian rhythm disruptions.

According to one 2009 study, workplace accidents and injuries increase by 5.7%, and 67.6% more workdays are lost as a result of injuries following the change to DST. Ditto for traffic accidents. A 1996 study found traffic accidents rose by 8% on the Monday following the changeover to DST.

More recent research, published in 2018, found traffic accidents increase 16% on the first day after DST and 12% on the second day. Fatal alcohol-related traffic accidents also increase for the first week after setting the clocks ahead.

Suicide rates for men also rise in the weeks following DST. According to the authors, their finding “suggests that small changes in chronobiological rhythms are potentially destabilizing in vulnerable individuals.”

DST Raises Rates of Heart Attacks

Cardiac events are more commonplace every Monday, greater than any other day of the week, and are likely related to changes in sleep associated with the transition from weekend to workday. This is known as the “Monday cardiac phenomenon.” On the Monday and Tuesday following spring DST, studies show the risk is even more pronounced.

For example, a University of Alabama study found the number of heart attacks increased by 10% on the Monday and Tuesday following the time change to DST in the spring, and decreased by 10% on the first Monday and Tuesday after the clocks are switched back in the fall.

Other studies have found even larger discrepancies. For example, data presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 63rd Annual Scientific Session in 2014 revealed a 25% increase in heart attacks the Monday after DST in the spring, and a 21% decrease in the fall when an hour of sleep is regained. The most recent meta-analysis looking at this phenomenon was published in the March 2019 issue of the Journal of Clinical Medicine. Here they found:

“A significantly higher risk of AMI [acute myocardial infarction] (Odds Ratio: 1.03 …) was observed during the two weeks following spring or autumn DST transitions.

However, although AMI risk increased significantly after the spring shift, the incidence of AMI during the week after winter DST transition was comparable with control periods … Conclusion: The risk of AMI increases modestly but significantly after DST transitions, supporting the proposal of DST shifts discontinuation.”

Preliminary research presented at the 2018 American Heart Association conference found the number of patients admitted for atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat) also rises in the days after DST in the spring, from 2.56 admissions per day to 3.13 admissions.