National

Springing forward could cause health risks

We will gain an hour of daylight Sunday, but that may come with some health risks.

As a nation, we in America are already sleep deprived and loosing another hour of sleep on Sunday might just make things worse.

“The country will function less well on Sunday and Monday,” said Emory Medicine sleep medicine doctor David Schulman, adding, “The following day than it does normally. So be careful on the roads.

“There's good evidence that rates of motor vehicles accidents are higher the day of and the days after we spring forward.”

We may also see more health challenges for older adults in the upcoming days.

“There is also a study that came out a few years ago that shows heart attack rates are higher too,” Schulman explained. “So that sleep deprivation probably has some cardiovascular risks that we haven't figured out why they occur.”

According to Schulman, “Working age people will manifest [the lack of sleep] more in accident risk, and younger kids will manifest more in inattention and other things.”

Schulman’s advice: "Try and take a nap during the day. you don't want to nap too close to bed time, but if Sunday you're feeling a little out of sorts, try and find 30, 60, 90 minutes to take a nap midafternoon.”

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