Less Sleep, But More Sunshine: Daylight Saving Time Starts Sunday
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Days are getting longer, temperatures are getting warmer, but all that unfortunately brings the changing of the clocks this weekend – and not in the preferred direction.
Daylight saving time starts this Sunday at 2 a.m., and is a regular opportunity for fire departments to remind people to change their batteries in their smoke alarms. However, it may also be the perfect time to take a weekend to get extra rest before people have to spring forward.
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the loss of an hour can have a heavy impact on sleep that can last for months. Research shows the risk of having a heart attack, stroke, and episodes of an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation can increase after the time change. High school students lose an average of 32 minutes of sleep on weeknights following the shift, for a net loss of two hours, 42 minutes that week, according to a 2015 study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep.
So if sleep is in already short supply, people were urged to plan ahead of the time change – consider shifting bedtime by 20 minutes a day, resist sleeping in on Sunday and get out in the sunshine for help waking up. People should also refrain from using alcohol as a sleep aid, and limit screens before bedtime.
For children, parents were encouraged to get them to bed earlier in the days leading up to the time change and get them outside so the sunlight can help them acclimate.
Daylight saving time is observed in all states except Hawaii and a portion of Arizona. The spring time change has long been a point of contention, with polls showing most Americans don't want it and Californians have even voted to end it. However, such a change must be also approved by Congress – and once it's in place, most people enjoy the extra sunshine in the afternoon and into the evening.