Is Daylight Saving Unhealthy for Seniors?

Sleep Deprivation

Humans have something called a “circadian rhythm,” a 24-hour cycle of mental and physical changes that line up with the 24-hour day. If you’ve ever had jet lag or taken a nap for so long that you can’t go to sleep at night, you’ve experienced just a small example of what can happen when your circadian rhythm gets out of alignment.

The major concern with permanently implementing DST is that this schedule is less aligned with our natural circadian rhythm. According to the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, DST increases the body’s exposure to light in the evening and darkness in the morning, potentially resulting in chronic adverse effects like sleep deprivation.

For seniors, maintaining a healthy circadian rhythm is more important than ever. Harvard Medical School confirmed a link between inadequate sleep and a higher risk for the onset of dementia in participants 50 and older. A healthy circadian rhythm is the body’s first line of defense against brain and mood disorders, as well as the first line of treatment for those already suffering

Driving

The results of an impaired circadian rhythm go beyond sleep deprivation. Problems with focus, mood, and energy can result in other issues, such as an increase in driving-related accidents.

According to a study conducted by the Fatality Analysis Reporting System of the NHTSA, car accidents increased an average of six percent during DST over the course of the last 20 years. After the week of the change to standard time, the study showed a similar decrease.

To put these numbers in perspective, a six percent increase in car accidents equates to hundreds of additional injuries and approximately 30 additional driving-related deaths, on average. The cause of these accidents is cited as impaired judgment and slowed reaction time caused by inadequate sleep.

Medication Schedules

For seniors, DST introduces other unique challenges. Many seniors have to follow complicated medication schedules, many of which are time-sensitive. A change in daily schedules following the switch to DST can have a negative effect on medication regimens in several ways.

As mentioned previously, one way this change can impact seniors is impaired focus due to insufficient sleep. In fact, this can affect a variety of people, including healthcare workers whose job is to maintain their patients’ medication schedules. A study conducted in 2021 for the Journal of General Internal Medicine demonstrated that patient safety-related accidents increased by 4.2 percent during the transition to DST.

The same effects can also impact seniors keeping track of their medications themselves. The lack of sleep that can impair judgment on the road can be just as dangerous when it causes seniors to miss taking their medications, accidentally take double doses or misjudge the timing.

Higher Risks of Heart Attacks

The transition to DST has been shown to increase the risk of acute myocardial infarctions, also known as heart attacks. A 2019 study in the Journal of Clinical Medicine observed an increase of 5 percent in over 100,000 study participants. The most noticeable shift occurred in the transition to DST in the spring compared to a statistically insignificant change in the shift back to standard time. This implied that DST itself was the issue, not the transition.

While the connection between DST and increases in heart-related incidents has not been scientifically proven, experts believe that the disruption of the body’s natural circadian rhythms is to blame. Just as a lack of sleep has been shown to increase blood pressure and disrupt hormones, the DST schedule can put extra strain on the heart.

How to Stay Healthy During Daylight Saving Time

After so many studies about the dangers of DST, especially for seniors, it’s important to know how to maintain the healthiest schedule possible. DST may become the new standard time this year, so these tips will be even more important.

1. Keep a steady routine, but allow yourself to change things based on how you feel. Eating dinner an hour early for a while may ease the transition.
2. Get your daily dose of sunlight, even if you have to go outside at a different time than normal. Exposure to sunlight is a great way to reset your body’s circadian rhythm.
3. Get as much done in the mornings as possible. Productive mornings, including doctor’s visits and friendly outings, will help promote an even bodily rhythm as opposed to going out when it’s dark.
4. Maintain your normal medication schedule unless advised by your doctor.
5. Limit the use of caffeine and alcohol as coping mechanisms for the time change. These substances can disturb your sleep patterns.
6. Try to limit long naps if they weren’t part of your standard time routine. Try to stay up until bedtime to ensure that you’re tired enough for a full 7-8-hour sleep.

Bottom Line

Switching twice a year between standard time and DST puts a strain on the body’s natural sleeping rhythms. Research has shown that this disturbance can lead to a loss of focus and mood instability, which can affect driving, as well as cause a strain on the heart that can lead to heart attacks or strokes. While Congress intended to correct this issue with the Sunshine Protection Act, they chose the schedule that puts the most strain on the body’s health as the new standard time.

While disturbed sleep can be most impactful to seniors, DST affects people of all ages. Maintaining a healthy sleep schedule as close as possible to the body’s natural daily clock and following the other tips listed above can help prevent these issues as the nation adapts to the new normal time.