Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Daylight-Saving Shift Might Be Bad for Your Health

I am a little torn on the topic of Daylight Savings; on one hand, I hate getting up when it's still dark, but on the other, I love the evenings being lighter longer. But the issue could be more significant than just personal preference.
This article from Fox News suggests that 'springing forward' the extra hour could have negative health implications. Studies have shown that early morning light is the key catalyst in waking the body; "wakeful hormones" are released throughout the body in increasing amounts coinciding with morning sunlight level. During Daylight Savings, the mornings are necessarily darker. The body does not receive the wake up call it is used to. This difference throws off circadium rhythm, the biological clock, and has untold effects on the body as a whole.
People who have been diagnosed with a form of depression called Seasonal Affective Disorder suffer from feelings of despondency, sleep problems, sluggishness, and cravings for sweets and other carbohydrates. The disease ramps up in the fall and then usually subsides in May; it is directly correlated with daylight. Scientists think that Daylight Savings may force these people to suffer longer unneccessarily.
Daylight Savings may not be all bad, though. Your teeth and bones receive a higher dose of vitamin D from the extra daylight, strengthening them and improving density and overall health. Daylight Savings also saves energy, as humans use less artificial light due to the increased availability of sunlight.
I still support Daylight Savings, but I enjoy watching the sunset on a late summer's night stroll...
There's probably a reason most romantics aren't scientists!
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,257921,00.html?sPage=fnc.science/humanbody

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