Perhaps you’re feeling a little off with the time change over the weekend.
Dr. Rebecca Robillard is a psychology professor at the University of Ottawa and a member of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research team.
Robillard says the effects are more widespread than we may think, “They’re quite diverse. It’s not just losing or gaining an hour of sleep. We’re also massively disrupting the biological clock that regulates not just the sleep-wake cycle, but a whole bunch of other physiological functions and cognitive functions in the brain as well.”
She adds there can be effects on the immune system, mental health, stress levels, anxiety and depression.
Robillard also feels there could be some sleep deprivation, even though the end of Daylight Saving time, means we are kind of gaining in our sleep. “Some people might go to bed later, but not necessarily sleep in later as well. So we are ending up with some people with sleep deprivation, but basically, the picture can change a bit in terms of the different effects that it can have.”
Ultimately though, she states that the scientific evidence really pushes towards abolishing this practice, because there are so many impacts on the physical and mental health of people.
“Definitely everyone from the scientific community agrees that getting rid of Daylight Saving Time is the way to go and stick with standard time. Especially in Canada where we’re in a more northern location, and our window of daylight is much shorter and we are more fragile to some of these effects, ” Robillard adds.
But she says more data is needed, and more studies are being done.
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