FOUR WAYS THE TIME SHIFT CAN AFFECT OUR HEALTH

There tend to be more crashes right after Daylight Saving Time ends.  A study found a 15% rise in highway crashes, a 28% increase in nighttime crashes, and a 6% rise in car wrecks overall.

Even though we gain an hour of sleep, it can also affect our health.  Here are four ways it can happen . . .

1.  Cluster Headaches.  They tend to happen in six to eight-week cycles, and people have more of them this time of year.  The theory is it’s because the part of our brain that generates cluster headaches also manages our circadian rhythm.

2.  Seasonal Affective Disorder, or “SAD”.  Shorter days mean less sunlight and less vitamin D.  So depression is more common as the days get shorter in general.  But for most people, earlier sunsets don’t help.

3.  It can be hard on people with Alzheimer’s and dementia.  They tend to be more affected by shifts in sleep schedule, so it can make symptoms worse.

4.  Strokes and heart attacks.  Springing forward in March has a bigger effect.  But there’s a small spike this time of year too.  Our bodies just don’t seem to like it when we mess with our internal clock.can