Well, once again I have changed my clocks. I hope my heart has not noticed. The October 30, 2008 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine reported an increase number of heart attacks after daylight saving time was implemented. Why is that? It is speculated that when the brain, which governs are sleep/awake rhythms, is force to move an hour forward or backward, unneeded stress is placed on the body. You have noticed this each spring or fall as the time changes. Most people do just fine. For some, the added level of stress chemistry can trigger a heart attack. Their bodies move above the stress threshold. This is a real chemical, electrical, hormonal, and immunologic change for the body to adjust to as the rest pattern changes.
There are really few (if any) benefits from changing the time back and forth, though those in power see little harm. This twice a year ritual increases stress and bumps up the heart attack risk. As if our risks were not already high enough!
Why do we keep doing this if it puts some of our citizens at risk? Perhaps stores want to enjoy a longer shopping day. Perhaps we want more daylight time to have fun. But according to this article we are paying a price when we change our patterns. Something to think about…
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