How Daylight Saving Is Actually F*cking Over Your Health And Productivity
It is my professional opinion that we should all have the day off after Daylight Saving Time.
Let me explain.
Didn't this week start off a little slower than normal?
Maybe you missed the train on your way to work, or you forgot something on your way out the door.
If you feel like you might still be half asleep as you're reading this, you're not alone. Daylight Saving Time is actually proven to cause fatigue, daytime sleepiness and even an increase in accident rates.
Read on...
A Little Sleep Loss May Really Suck For Your Health
Dr. Yosef Krespi, director of the Center for Sleep Disorders at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, tells US News & World Report,
It's well known that a small shift in time can have a large impact on our body clock and our health, and the time change causes sleepiness and fatigue.
But a little sleepiness may not be the only downside of DST you're facing this week.
LiveScience reports that chronic pain, including cluster headaches, can occur by changing the clock by an hour.
Apparently, our bodies do have biological clocks, which shoot out things called circadian rhythms that create physical, mental and behavioral changes while following a 24-hour cycle.
When we mess with that cycle, we're essentially messing with our biological clocks, which can cause a whole lot of physical and emotional changes to occur.
Daylight Saving Time Causes Injuries
If you need any more reasons to call out of work the day after DST, look no further: There's a greater chance of you getting injured on the road, and even at work, following the shift in time.
Fatalities and car accidents rise the week following Daylight Saving Time. Experts say this is likely caused by a combination of lack of sleep and less sunlight on the road.
The Society for Human Resource Management says employers should be aware of the potential effects on safety caused by the loss of sleep brought on by the change.
According to a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, there is a spike in workplace injuries following DST due to the loss of sleep.
This is exactly why nobody should be working the day after Daylight Saving Time. Not only is it dangerous for workers who haven't had enough sleep, but it's bad for business, too.
The study found the injuries that happened on the Monday following DST caused a 68 percent increase in workplace absences.
We Can't Focus After Daylight Saving Time
Apparently, the day after DST is one of the most unproductive for school and work.
A 2012 study showed people are more likely than usual to surf the web this week rather than do something productive.
The data was taken from over 200 metropolitan US regions during the first day after Daylight Saving Time and found people were cyberloafing -- or ignoring all responsibilities and entertaining themselves online in a separate tab -- more than any other Monday.
See? We might as well have the day off. Protect workers, increase business and allow us all time to watch "Game of Thrones" in the comfort of our beds for the day. Scratch that -- for the week.
Citations: Always Sleepy After the Change to Daylight Saving Time? (U.S News &World Report), 5 Weird Effects Of Daylight Savings Time (LiveScience), Workplace Injuries Spike After Daylight Saving Time Change (The Society for Human Resource Management), Saving Daylight, Increasing Danger: Daylight Saving Time Leads to Less Sleep, More Injuries on the Job (American Psychological Association)
