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sleepy man via Shutterstock
# me so sleepy
Clocks going forward causes increase in heart attacks and car accidents
That’s according to research carried out in America which shows the time change could be a health and safety risk.
AN HOUR OF sleep will be taken from you tonight when our clocks go forward by one hour.
It’s not nice thinking of losing out on an hours kip but is that where it ends?
According to some studies the change in the clocks can be bad for our health.
The American Journal of Cardiology found that there’s a spike in heart attacks during the first week of clocks going forward.
Doctor Brian McDonough reported to CBS Philly that,
Heart attacks increase by 10% on Monday and Tuesday following the shift to Daylight Saving Time.
“Some people point to stress, while others point to an increase amount of inflammation. The bottom line, we’re not really sure, but they are finding that there is a small increase (of heart attacks).”
Meanwhile, when the clocks go back and we get an extra hours sleep; the rate of heart attacks drop according to Harvard Health Publications.
Accident-prone?
A study in Neuroscience Letters found that the quality of people’s sleep decreased and they spent less time in bed after the clocks spring forward.
Meanwhile a report in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that the sleepiness people experienced leads to less productivity at work.
And that sleepiness may also lead to more workplace accidents and injuries according to a study in the Journal of Applied Psychology.
There’s also reports of extra car accidents after the clocks go forward. Doctor McDonagh said “Traffic accidents increase 8 per cent on the Monday following the change over to Daylight Saving Time”.
It seems like a lot of knock on effects for missing out on one hours sleep! Maybe the best thing to do is take your Mammy’s advice and just go to bed early.
That way you’ll be fresh as a daisy for Mother’s Day!
Read: Alan Shatter’s annual ‘Minister for Time’ press release isn’t as cheery as last year’s>
Read: TD insists time change legislation would ‘cheer the whole country up’>
