Have you ever wondered why you feel discombobulated after daylight savings time?
I don’t know about you, but daylight savings time really messes up my internal clock every year. I feel fatigued, discombobulated, and generally concerned that a one hour time difference in either direction could wreak so much havoc in my life. I have recently discovered that I’m not alone. Not only does the time change affect our alertness and heart rate, but around daylight savings time every year there is a spike in suicides, heart attacks, car accidents, and work injuries.
Daylight savings time messes with our circadian rhythms, since our internal clocks are directly tied to sunlight. Generally speaking, even when our eyes are closed and we can sense light, it is harder for us to sleep because our bodies think it’s time to be awake. Thus, it may only be a one hour time difference, but our bodies take time to adjust to the change, and it often disrupts our internal clocks.
READ MORE: Could You Have a Sleeping Disorder?
The good news is that congress just passed a measure making daylight savings time permanent! So while you may be struggling right now like I am, hopefully in 2023 we will never have to suffer through it again!