I Hate Time Changes but Especially Spring Forward
And there's evidence to support abolishing the biannual time change
As I get older, the biannual time change seems to mess up my biorhythms and body clock more and more with every passing year. Spring forward is especially bad. I’m seriously dragging today.
And it turns out there’s evidence to support my complaints:
A meta-analysis of 12 studies from 10 countries reported that the risk of acute myocardial infarction increased by 4% in the week after the spring clock change.
It’s reported that stroke rates are 8% higher in the first two days following both time changes.
A Swedish study found that the risk of having a heart attack increases in the first three weekdays after switching to DST in the spring.
Tiredness induced by the clock change is thought to be the main cause for the increase in traffic accidents on the Monday following the start of DST.
On Mondays after the start of DST there were more workplace injuries, and the injuries were of greater severity compared to other Mondays.
An Australian study found that male suicide rates increased the days after the spring and fall DST shift.
According to an analysis by Stanford scientists, changing clocks twice a year disrupts circadian rhythms, leading to higher rates of stroke and obesity.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine's position statement concluded that DST causes misalignment between the biological clock and the environmental clock, and that there is evidence the body clock does not fully adjust to DST even after several months.
To sum up, a Johns Hopkins publication stated that:
“The scientific evidence points to acute increases in adverse health consequences from changing the clocks, including in heart attack and stroke,” says sleep expert Adam Spira, PhD, MA, a professor in Mental Health.
The change is also associated with a heightened risk of mood disturbances and hospital admissions, as well as elevated production of inflammatory markers in response to stress. The potential for car crashes also spikes just after the spring forward, Spira says; a 2020 study found that the switch raises the risk of fatal traffic accidents by 6%.
…
The evidence of health and accident risks following the change is so great that the AASM has said it favors abolishing DST entirely in favor of permanent standard time.
As do I.