DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME MAY SAVE YOUR HEART!
Don't forget to set your clocks back, Chicagoland! This weekend we "fall back" and gain that extra hour of sleep! Never mind the fact that it will start getting dark at 4 p.m., that extra hour of sleep for one measly night is totally worth it!
And not only do we get an extra hour of sleep, but a newly published study suggests that "falling back" and getting that "extra" hour may actually prevent heart attacks. Swedish researchers, examining data from 1987 to 2006, compared the heart attack rate in Sweden in the week following daylight saving time to heart attack rates two weeks before and two weeks after the spring and fall events using a comprehensive national health registry. They discovered a 5% increase in heart attacks in the first three workdays after clocks were set ahead in the spring and a similar decrease on the Monday after clocks were set back in the fall. The researchers acknowledge that it is not a huge difference, but significant nevertheless considering nearly 1.5 billion people are affected by daylight saving time. Ultimately, the researchers theorized that small disturbances in sleep patterns may affect the heart and getting that extra hour when we "fall back" may actually produce benefits for your heart.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends the following tips to ensure a successful adjustment to time changes:
* Maintain your regular bedtime Saturday night, when clocks move back, and awaken at your regular time on Sunday morning. This can give you an “extra” hour of sleep the next morning and help reduce your sleep debt.
* Block out light and keep your sleeping area dark. Standard time causes the sun to rise about an hour earlier. This can impact sleep, especially for people accustomed to awakening before or around sunrise. The light itself can disturb sleep, so it is always best to sleep in a darkened room.
* Increase the light when you wake up. Light has an alerting affect that may help you wake up. It will also help adjust your biological clock to the “new” sleep schedule.
* Difficulty adjusting to the time change? Staying awake at night or sleeping until your desired wake-up time may be helped by gradually moving bedtime and awakening later by 15 minutes every one to two days.
At the Law Offices of Jeffrey Kroll, we have extensive experience in representing people who have been seriously injured and have recovered millions for our clients. If you or a loved one has been injured, please contact us for an initial consultation.
