ANN ARBOR, MI (UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN HEALTH) - Did you feel a little groggy Sunday morning because you lost an hour of sleep overnight? Well, doctors say that changing your sleep patterns twice a year could have an even bigger effect on your health.
Sleep experts have made a position against the clock change to daylight saving time, instead advocating for permanent standard time. A sleep medicine specialist at the University of Michigan Health says the time change causes a misalignment between the body’s internal clock and the sun time, leading to potentially harmful health consequences.
“The health consequences that can come from springing forward include cardiovascular disease, so higher risk of abnormal heart rhythm, for example. Metabolic irregularity, so impaired glucose regulation, sleep deprivation which can influence our attention and our cognition, academic performance, scholastic performance, driving safety. So, there are so many ways in which springing forward negatively impacts our health,” says Dr. Anita Shelgikar, neurologist and sleep medicine specialist at the University of Michigan Health
If you have concerns about the amount or quality of your sleep, doctors say it is a good idea to contact your healthcare provider.
