I don’t know about you, but if I am not a fan of daylight savings. I became even less of a fan when children were added to the mix. A good way to determine if something is “natural” is to monitor how children react to it.
When children don’t get sufficient sleep they are moody, hungry all the time, and altogether not super enjoyable to be around. Much like the rest of us except children don’t have the ability to hold back how they are really feeling like adults.
According to cbsnew.com Americans lose an average of 40 minutes of sleep when we spring forward. Our body likes rhythms and consistency. Daylight savings throws a huge wrench in the rhythm and consistency (called our circadian rhythm) that our body has become accustomed to over the past six months.
This is dangerous, not just inconvenient.
– Today (the Monday after springing forward) hospitals in the US report a 24% spike in visits for heart attacks
– Injuries at work increase
– Strokes increase
When children don’t get sufficient sleep they are moody, hungry all the time, and altogether not super enjoyable to be around. Much like the rest of us except children don’t have the ability to hold back how they are really feeling like adults.
According to cbsnew.com Americans lose an average of 40 minutes of sleep when we spring forward. Our body likes rhythms and consistency. Daylight savings throws a huge wrench in the rhythm and consistency (called our circadian rhythm) that our body has become accustomed to over the past six months.
This is dangerous, not just inconvenient.
– Today (the Monday after springing forward) hospitals in the US report a 24% spike in visits for heart attacks
– Injuries at work increase
– Strokes increase
Our bodies need sleep. When we “fall back” and catch up a bit on our sleep many of these issues are reversed. Our bodies are resilient and yet sensitive. My vote is to get rid of daylight savings time altogether for the sake of our health.
With all of that said, today is the Monday after we spring forward and thus a few things to pay attention to:
– Get a nap if at all possible
– I know I am a little grumpier than usual, so try harder to be nicer and more patient with others (I failed at this already once today)
– Be VERY careful at work and when behind the wheel
– Get to bed earlier tonight