The Circadian rhythm largely regulates itself with light, it is therefore plausible that shifting the clock will result in a certain response to our body. The impact of summer time on our body can be big, adjusting to daylight saving time is therefore important!
Quality of sleep is essential
So what is sleep quality? In short in means a sufficient amount and quality that allows you to successfully move through all of the sleep stages.
Disruption of sleep, including not sleeping enough, can have far-reaching negative short-term and long-term effects on health and well-being.
Short-term effects include decreased cognitive performance, particularly in the realms of memory and learning, an increased risk of mood and emotional disorders and a higher risk of workplace injuries and traffic accidents.
Long-term impacts include an increased risk of some cancers, obesity, type two diabetes, clinical depression and cardiovascular disease.
Daylight Savings Time is unhealthy
It generally takes a person four days to adjust to Daylight Savings Time. For those with a chronic health condition that can be a hard, even dangerous adjustment period. Cardiac incident patterns offer a clear example of that.
The time shifts into and out of Daylight Saving Time are associated with higher numbers of strokes during the few days after the change, as well as other conditions that impact stroke risk. These include high blood pressure and, in the autumn, with the return to Standard Time and an abrupt loss of evening light, an increased risk of depression (Chronobiology.com).
Evolution
Humans have evolved in conjunction with the pattern of day and night. That approximately 24-hour cycle of light and dark is a part of us and a part of how our bodies and minds work on a deep, mechanical level. Daylight Saving Time disrupts that significantly and not just by an hour lost or gained in sleeping time.
Due to that ancient evolutionary pattern, light is one of the primary environmental cues for our circadian rhythm. We have light sensitive cells in our retinas and brains that help to set our body clocks, thereby influencing the timing of bodily functions and brain tasks.
The artificial shifting of sunrise and sunset times deprives us of the natural lighting patterns we need for a smooth adjustment to seasonal changes, allowing for the disruption of the highly complex systems that support health and well-being on the most basic levels.
Science is increasingly demonstrating that such disruption is strongly linked to a wide range of diseases and chronic health conditions.
Source: www.chronobiology.com
