The dose23:40Why does time change affect my sleep and what can I do about it?
While it generally only takes a few days for most Canadians to adjust to the switch between daylight saving time and standard time, sleep experts say the biannual time travel damages sleep and has a negative effect on the body’s internal clock.
“The internal biological clock essentially aligns with the sun clock: the external environment of light and dark,” said Dr. Michael Mak, a psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health.
“Any discrepancy between the internal biological clock and the external light-dark cycle results in significant health problems.”
Instead of alternating between daylight saving time (DST) and standard time (ST), Mak and others who study circadian rhythms They say we should permanently set our clocks to standard time because it better suits the body’s natural rhythms and is better for our health.
Jumping forward is more harmful than going backwards
Evidence suggests that the spring switch to daylight saving time is more harmful than gaining an hour in the fall, says University of Ottawa associate professor Rebecca Robillard, who directs clinical sleep research at the school’s Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR).
“In many cases we are losing an hour of sleep,” he said. The dose host Dr. Brian Goldman.
“This is important because much of the population is already sleep deprived to begin with,” says Robillard, who also co-directs the University of Ottawa’s sleep lab.
That change to daylight saving time is associated with an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and digestive system problems, as well as problems related to childbirth and pregnancy. according to the research.
Liberal MP Marie-France Lalonde joined sleep experts Thursday morning to announce her intention to introduce a private bill next week addressing the twice-yearly time change.
Countries far from the equator that experience large differences in daylight hours throughout the year adopt daylight saving time as a way to take advantage of the longer daylight hours during spring and summer.
As a result, Robillard says, Canadians actually sleep a little worse during daylight saving time because we end up staying up later to take advantage of both the warmer weather and longer nights.
“You would expect us to get up a little later to catch up too, but because of work and family duties and all that, our social pressure [curtails] our dream,” he said.
Stick to standard time, experts say
Both B.C and ontario have passed legislation to permanently adopt daylight saving time, eliminating the problems associated with switching twice a year. In both cases, those efforts depended on neighboring states and provinces agreeing to do the same.
“When I first talked to politicians about this, some of the things that came up was alignment with [New York Stock Exchange]”Robillard said.
But he says there’s consensus among sleep researchers in Canada that it would be better to stick to standard time.
Many Canadian provinces and several U.S. states are considering getting rid of seasonal time changes, and experts say sticking to standard time is better for natural sleep patterns.
“This is the natural sun exposure profile we should have,” said Robillard, co-chair of the Canadian Sleep Research Consortium.
“Permanent daylight saving time would be an artificial and biased way of trafficking our clocks that might be socially fun, but not biologically founded.”
Patricia Lakin-Thomas, a York University professor who runs the school’s clock lab, says adopting permanent daylight saving time would also cause problems during the fall and winter.
“The problem with daylight saving time in a place like Toronto is that if we were on daylight saving time all year round, you wouldn’t see the sunrise until 9 a.m. in the middle of winter,” he said.
Saskatchewan is the province only That does not respect daylight saving time, although there are some communities bordering Alberta that do change their clocks. TO report presented to the Canadian Sleep Society argued that Saskatchewan residents would be “severely affected by winter daylight saving time.”
TO Liberal MP at the beginning of October iIntroduced a private member’s bill to abolish daylight saving time in Canada.
The bill is unlikely to pass through Parliament quickly.
Prepare your body and then follow a regular schedule.
Meanwhile, experts say the best way to get ahead of the time change is to change your schedule 15 minutes a few days before the clocks change.
Staying active, as well as trying to maintain regular sleep and eating schedules, will also help ease the switch between daylight saving time and standard time, Robillard says.
“However, be careful not to [exercise] “close to bedtime…because then you might need to end up activating your system too much and that sends mixed signals to your body clock that it might be time to wake up and be active.”
Robillard warns that sleep cannot be accumulated.
“You can’t sleep in advance and compensate for lack of sleep.”
