Daylight saving time can undermine your health and productivity

It’s that lovely time of year again, when many Americans crave longer hours of daylight but bemoan the loss of sleep that comes with “springing forward” by an hour. In case you didn’t know, daylight saving time begins tomorrow, on Sunday, March 9. And please take note that the use of “saving” is intentional – a sleep scholar whom I worked with several years ago corrected me on the common misusage of “savings,” and now I am equally adamant about telling all my friends and colleagues when I hear them slip up.

But in spite of what these scholars have taught me, I’ll almost certainly carry out my predictable routine of staying up far too late tonight and paying for it tomorrow and possibly in the days ahead.

In fact, the fatigue and other health effects from the time change will last long after the feeling of lethargy wears off, writes Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, an associate professor of neurology at the University of Pittsburgh.

Aside from the vast body of research showing that the change to daylight saving time can contribute to chronic sleep deprivation, a higher risk of heart attacks and other long-term health issues, Fong-Isariyawongse notes that the shift also costs the U.S. billions in lost productivity and health care expenses.

“It’s not just about an hour of lost sleep,” she writes. “It’s about how small disruptions ripple through our health, our workplaces and even our children’s futures.”

This week we also liked articles about what’s happening to butterflies, the significance of a troubling character in “Severance,” and the ethics lessons you can pick up when you watch Marvel movies.

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