Daylight Saving Time is here, and Doctors say even losing one hour can harm health

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Springing forward this weekend might feel routine, but medical experts say even losing one hour of sleep can still take a serious toll on people’s hearts, safety, and overall health.

Dr. Christopher Valentine, a family medicine doctor and medical director with Optum in Utah and Idaho, said the one-hour jump has been linked to a short-term increase in heart attacks, strokes, and car crashes, especially on the Monday after the time change.

“There is an increase in the incidence,” Valentine said. “When we suddenly shake up our regular circadian rhythm, if someone is already on the edge in terms of their cardiovascular risk, that shift can just push them over.”

Valentine said the health effects underscore how important consistent sleep is to the body’s ability to regulate blood pressure, metabolism, and reaction time.

Instead of trying to force an earlier bedtime the night before daylight saving time begins, Valentine recommends focusing on your wake-up time in the days leading up to the change.

“It’s a lot harder to try to force yourself to go to sleep sooner,” Valentine said. “The key is to slowly start to wake up earlier, so you’re not making that one-hour shift all at once.”

Ideally, people should start adjusting several days to a couple of weeks ahead of the time change.

“Over a few days — or ideally a couple of weeks — wake up a few minutes earlier each day, and get that light exposure in the morning,” Valentine said. “If you can do it gradually, it’s less of a shock to the system.”

That early-morning light helps reset what he called the body’s internal clock. When people make the full one-hour jump all at once, the sudden shift can leave them feeling groggy, irritable, and less able to focus, especially behind the wheel.

Valentine said sleep deprivation can be as dangerous on the road as alcohol.

“Lack of sleep winds up making us just as much at risk of getting behind the wheel of a car as drinking alcohol,” he said. “We have poorer reaction time and less emotional regulation when we’re sleep deprived.”

He added that the problem isn’t limited to adults rushing to work on Monday morning. Children and teenagers who don’t get enough sleep can also experience attention and behavior issues.

“There’s a lot of complications with ADHD, particularly in children, when they have poor sleep,” Valentine said. “With the increased incidence of ADHD, we need to take a really hard look at the way we’re managing and regulating the sleep of our children as well.”

While the exact number of hours varies, Valentine said most adults need at least seven to 7.5 hours of sleep each night, and some people naturally need more.

"Some people need nine hours or more — and that’s normal,” Valentine said. “That’s just what your body needs.”

He stressed that the quality of sleep is just as important as quantity. People who snore heavily, wake up often during the night, or feel exhausted even after a full night in bed should talk with a health care provider.

“The incidence of obstructive sleep apnea and other sleep disorders is high enough that it’s worth taking a history and doing some testing,” Valentine said. “You could sleep for seven or eight hours, but if you’re not getting restorative sleep, it’s not going to serve your health.”

Valentine said the shift to daylight saving time is a good opportunity to revisit basic “sleep hygiene” habits that can help people year-round:

• Keep a consistent wake-up time, even on weekends.
• Get light exposure first thing in the morning to help set the body’s internal clock.
• Create a quiet, dark sleeping environment with minimal disruptions.
• Avoid screens and bright light from phones, tablets and TVs for at least an hour before bed.
• Wind down gradually with calm activities like reading or meditation, rather than working or scrolling in bed.

“There is good evidence that a lot of that exposure to light through our devices is signaling to our brain and fooling it into thinking it’s daytime,” Valentine said. “That increases our sleep latency — how long it takes us to fall asleep.”

In recent years, lawmakers across the country have debated whether to make daylight saving time or standard time permanent to avoid the twice-a-year clock change.

“From a medical standpoint, I don’t think there’s any evidence that either one would be preferable if we committed to one or the other,” he said. “But the fact that shift is happening every year, and is putting stress on people’s bodies and increasing their short-term risk, is an indication that we need to look at this really seriously.”

For now, he said, the best most people can do is take their sleep seriously — during the time change and throughout the year.

“Consistency in sleep will lead to better health outcomes,” Valentine said. “We don’t even completely understand why we sleep, but we do know that when we don’t get enough, it affects not just us, but everyone around us.”