Skip to main content

3 Ways Daylight Savings Time Impacts Your Health

It’s time to “fall back” and that means gaining an extra hour of sleep on Sunday night. Sounds great right? I mean who couldn’t use a little extra sleep or stay up a little later on Saturday?

It’s amazing how just one little hour can make such a difference. Whether you’re springing forward in March or falling back in November those 60 minutes can affect your health. Here are three ways Daylight Savings Time impacts your health.

Headaches

People who suffer from cluster headaches or migraines often report issues around both the spring and fall time changes. Lack of quality sleep, daylight and dry air can all contribute and trigger headaches at this time of year.

To reduce the chances of triggering a headache stay well hydrated, establish a bedtime that ensures you get enough sleep and take steps to improve the quality of your sleep as well.

Your Body Clock

Daylight Savings Time can make you feel tiredYour body’s natural circadian rhythms help establish your sleep patterns.[1] So setting the clocks back will throw your internal clock off much in the same way someone traveling across time zones experiences jet lag.

Your internal clock will reset but it may take a few days. Here are some ways to help reset your internal body clock after the time change:

  • Establish and stick to your bedtime
  • Do something relaxing before bed (like reading a book, taking a bath, having a cup of decaffeinated tea, or meditating)
  • Limit caffeine after 12pm
  • Exercise during the day
  • If you nap during the day keep it under 20 minutes
  • Limit screen time at night
  • Keep your bedroom dark at night and light in the morning

Your Heart

Gaining an hour of sleep in the fall may actually be good for your heart!  Studies have shown a 21% reduced risk of heart attack the week after we “fall back” [1]  Unfortunately, we seem to make up for it in the spring when the risk of heart attacks rise 24% the week after we “spring ahead”.

All of this reinforces the relationship between getting enough quality sleep and your heart health. The Centers for Disease Control recommend that adults get 7 or more hours of quality sleep per night.

If you regularly wake up tired, even after getting enough sleep or you wake up often throughout the night you may not be getting a quality nights sleep. Try following some of the tips above or checking with your doctor to be sure you aren’t suffering from a sleep disorder.

Summary

The time change can affect your health in positive and not so positive ways. However, taking steps including establishing good sleep habits can help you fall back with few adverse health effects.

Poor sleep and fatigue are also symptoms of toxins in your system. Get your FREE video and discover how eating clean can help you detox naturally and sleep better than you have in years!

References

  1. Circadian Rhythms. (n.d.). Retrieved November 03, 2017, from https://www.nigms.nih.gov/Education/Pages/Factsheet_CircadianRhythms.aspx
  2. Sandhu, A., Seth, M., & Gurm, H. S. (2014). Daylight savings time and myocardial infarction. Retrieved November 03, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4189320/
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrssyoutube
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

4 Simple Things That Lead to Good Health

  It All Adds Up I recently went to the doctor’s for my annual check-up and I got a clean bill of health! While checking out I noticed a sign with four simple things anyone can do to stay healthy at any age. It occurred to me that I do all of those things so I thought I’d share them with you here in this live video. Four Things! 1 – Move Even moderate exercise on a consistent basis can have a big impact on your health. Look for fun things to do on the weekend that keep you moving and active. I like bike riding, skiing, running, and disc golf! 2 – Get enough sleep Have a solid bed time to help ensure you get enough rest for your body to repair and refresh. Most sleep professionals say 7-8 hours is good for adults . 3- Eat real food Avoid eating processed foods and foods with ingredients you can’t pronounce. Generally, these don’t contain the nutrients your body needs for optimal health. 4 – uh….oh no I forgot # 4! Ok so you’ll notice I forgot # 4 (thank goodness my doc wasn’t testin...
Post a Comment
Read more

The 5 Best Supplements for Health and Wellness

  Why supplement? You can get a lot of nutrients from raw food however when food is cooked it becomes less nutritious. Also over farming degrades what was once nutrient dense soil. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A SUPPLEMENT – Quality – Source – Bio-availability – Delivery Method OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS For heart health, eye health, may help with arthritis, ADHD, Alzheimer’s Dementia and depression. Krill is generally the most potent and cleanest source of Omega 3. PROBIOTICS For gut health. Delivery method is huge here because most supplements only deliver a small fraction of live probiotics to your intestines. Many die in stomach acid. Look for liquid forms or technology designed to protect live bacteria through the acidic environment of the stomach. VITAMIN D Vitamin D is a hormone and plays an important role in over 650 functions in the body. While we can make our own most people are deficient. For energy, immunity and bone density. VITAMIN C Only a few mamals don’t make their own vitamin C. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tips to Stay Healthy at Work

If you are an office worker, like me, you face some interesting health challenges. You may spend the majority of your day sitting, be inclined to grab a quick, less than healthy lunch and, depending on the type of work you do, experience high levels of stress.  The ole’ desk job doesn’t always encourage healthy behavior. Getting Healthy at the Office Here are some  tips to stay healthy  at work and simple changes that can have a positive impact on your health and productivity at work. Bring Your Lunch This has been great for my health and my wallet! When you pack your lunch you:  save money eat healthier have more time (during your break) Some lunch packing ideas: Protein Shake:  This is my go to!  Protein shakes  are very nutritious, delicious and super easy! Leftovers:  (casserole/soups etc/….) make a great lunch Salads:  whip up a big salad at the beginning of the week and you can get several lunches out of it! Walk At Lunch With...
Post a Comment
Read more