Did you know that this weekend’s rolling back of the clocks has shown to be good medicine for the heart? Every Spring, we “spring forward” our clocks for daylight savings time and in the Fall, we “fall back” with our clocks. It seems the simple act of gaining or losing one hour of sleep can either increase or decrease the risk of a heart attack.
Based on research conducted by Swedish researchers, over a twenty year span, on the Monday after clocks fall back documented cases of heart attacks declined and on the couple days after clocks sprang forward, heart attack cases increased. Researchers say the risk may be linked to sleep depravation. Though the time adjusts on Sunday, most of the population doesn’t feel the affects until Monday morning, when they return to their scheduled routines. Those under 65 seemed to be at a greater risk, which is possibly because of retirement lending those over 65 more flexible schedules.
n the Northern Hemisphere, daylight savings time adds an hour of daylight to our afternoons allowing us more time to enjoy the beautiful Spring afternoons and evenings, as well as benefits retailers, sporting events, reduces electrical bills and even seems to reduce traffic deaths. According to the researchers, over 1.5 billion people around the world turn their clocks back in the fall and forward in the Spring. Europe, including Sweden, moved their clocks back last weekend. In the U.S., daylight savings time ends this weekend at 2 a.m. Sunday. The only states not making the switch are Arizona and Hawaii.
Researchers for the study including Imre Janesky with the Karolinska Institute, and Richard Ljung of Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare, took advantage of Sweden’s comprehensive registry which tracks heart attacks. They used the registries data to examine the affects of disruptions to sleep and the body’s internal clock as a result of the time changes. The team compared data from the seven days following each time change to corresponding days two weeks prior and two weeks later. They found a 5 percent increase in heart attacks overall during the week after “spring forward,” with Monday and Wednesday reporting 6 percent increases and Tuesdays reporting 10 percent increases. When evaluating “fall back” weeks over the twenty-year span of data, heart attack reports seemed to stay about the same, with the exception of Mondays reporting a decline of 5 percent. The study was published in the October 30, 2008 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
The director of the University of Michigan’s Sleep Disorders Center, Dr. Ronald Chervin said we live in a “sleep deprived society,” and we should try to take advantage of our extra hour on Sunday and get some extra sleep. Sleep affects the heart through changes in several aspects of the blood, including blood pressure, blood clots, blood sugar levels, blood vessels, swelling, and cholesterol. The authors of the study said “the findings that the possibility of additional sleep seems to be protective on the first work day after the autumn shift is intriguing.” Take advantage of the extra hour created from the clocks rolling back on Sunday and sleep in. It may help with sleep depravation, anxiety and even prevent a possible heart attach. Because of the shock “spring forward” seems to cause to some peoples biological clocks and ultimately their hearts, doctors suggest beginning to get adjusted to the new time by waking 15 minutes earlier each morning for a few days prior to the change.
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