Daylight Saving Time is Sunday, March 8 at 2:00 AM

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas - Daylight Saving Time officially goes into effect Sunday, March 8, at 2 a.m., and lasts until November 1. The loss of one hour of sleep can have detrimental effects according to the Journal of Sleep Medicine (2012), which reported that the number of heart attacks was 3.9 percent higher than usual, in the first week after daylight saving time took effect. The risk was even greater for people already taking heart medicines. A previous Swedish study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2008, said research indicated that it was 6 to 10 percent higher.

In reality, the time adjustment in the spring actually results in a couple of hours of lost sleep, as many have difficulty falling asleep an hour earlier, yet still wake up at their usual time. The following have been attributed to the difficulty in changing sleep patterns:

- Traffic accidents are 8.6 percent more common based on over two decades of data collection.

- Workplace accidents are more common -- and more severe, according to the Journal of Applied Psychology in 2009.

- Women are more irritable and agitated during the transition than men.

Increased sleepiness on the first Monday after switching to daylight saving time leads to a dramatic increase in ‘cyberloafing’ behavior...surfing the Web when you should be getting productive work done.

According to German researchers in a report in the 2009 journal of Sleep Medicine, ‘night owls’ have the hardest time transitioning; taking almost three weeks to adjust to the new time.

The transition is so significant that the Monday after the time change has been proclaimed National Nap Day for good reason.

On the positive side...another hour of daylight will be gained, allowing more time for evening, outdoor activities. Outdoor physical exertion is considered one of the most beneficial strategies in acclimating the time change transition.

#sleeplikealog #NowILayMeDowntoToSleep