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Impact of Daylight Saving Time on the body
How you can prepare now for the upcoming Daylight Saving Time transition this weekend.
ATLANTA - Next week, Americans will set their clocks forward as Daylight Saving Time returns. As the push to make it permanent continues, some experts are concerned about how the transition can affect your health.
"Most people can ill afford to lose one more hour of sleep," said sleep specialist Dr. Russell Rosenberg.
Rosenberg, who founded Neurotrials Research in Atlanta, says for many, Daylight Saving Time does not just feel like a hard adjustment, it can literally cause health issues.
"You might see a little more irritability, people more short on temper. A little bit more difficulty paying attention in meetings and paying attention behind the wheel of the car," he explained. "We know there are more cardiovascular issues like heart attack and stroke that occur during this time of year."
A 2020 study conducted in the US revealed the risk of fatal traffic accidents increased by 6 percent. The study went on to say 28 fatal accidents could be prevented yearly if the transition was abolished.
"There's more car accidents. We don't want to be on 75, 85 or 285 when people are more sleepy and more at risk for having a motor vehicle accident."
Rosenberg is one of many experts who want to stop springing forward and falling back all together. Though Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law that would keep Georgia permanently on Daylight Saving Time in 2021, it cannot go into effect until Congress amends the Uniform Time Act.
The Sunshine Protection Act passed in the US Senate in 2022, effectively eliminated the seasonal changing of clocks, but it died in the US House of Representatives.
While the wait for that potential change continues, Rosenberg says the good news is most of will adjust within a few days. He recommends sleeping in on that Sunday and taking an afternoon nap. Daylight Saving Time goes into effect Sunday, March 12.