How Daylight Savings Worsens Your Mental Health – And What You Can Do to Help Yourself
On Sunday, we are all going to be springing forward one hour of time compliments to Daylight Savings Time. What many of us do not realize is that DST not only takes away an hour of sleep in the spring, but it also has a negative impact on our mental health twice a year.
Research has been done that has shown an increase in depression, anxiety and even suicidal thoughts around the time change in both the spring and fall. This increase primarily affects those who have a pre-existing mental health condition.
For example, a study done in Epidemiology in 2017 analyzed over 185,000 hospital contacts for depression and found that during the time transition from DST, the number of hospital visits for depression increased by 11%. A possible cause for the rise may be due to the disruption to one’s circadian rhythm from having to make a change to your sleep schedule.
If you are struggling with anxiety or depression, it is important to have a mental health professional at your side to aid you on your healing journey. If you are in need of support, feel free to take advantage of a tapping session with me to see if I would be a good fit for your needs.
Another notable impact that affects all of us from DST is a temporary drop in overall productivity. The change in our sleep patterns leads to an increase in fatigue that can make us more prone to making bad decisions and being less productive. A study featured in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that following the time change, people spend more time online trying to look busy in the morning than actually doing work. Even students are affected. Studies have shown a decrease in SAT scores for those who take the test close to the time change.
Workplace accidents also increase as a result of DST. A study done by the US Military Academy at Westpoint has found that work related accidents and the severity of the accident increase after the time change. The study documented a 5.7% increase in work injuries and a 67.6% increase in lost work days as a result.
Why Do We Have Daylight Savings?
We can thank the Germans for being the first country to implement DST in May of 1916 during WWI. The idea behind DST was to conserve fuel, in particular kerosene which was used in lighting during the war. Europe ended up following suite shortly after. And in 1918, one year after entering in the war, the United States adopted DST as well.
When the war ended, DST was dropped due to pressure from rural America as they did not want to lose an hour of daylight that was vital for farming communities. Yet, when WWII started, President Franklin Roosevelt re-established DST.
After WWII, a free for all system was in place that allowed US states and towns to decide whether or not to abide by DST. This led to a lot of confusion and conflict throughout the country. In 1966 the Uniform Time Act was implemented by the federal government in order to standardize the practice and create a uniform protocol throughout each state.
And finally, in 2007, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 went into effect, expanding the length of daylight savings time to the present-day timing.
What Can You Do to Lessen the Impact of Daylight Savings Time?
Go To Sleep Earlier Before Sunday. Give yourself some extra days to begin the adjustment to the new time so that the loss of the hour of sleep isn’t as jarring on your system.
Keep Your Schedule Light on Monday. You are not going to be at your best at work on Monday so do what you can to lighten your schedule.
Avoid Dangerous Physical Labor on Monday. If you work in the trades or a factory, try to avoid potentially dangerous work on Monday. You and all of your colleagues will be off that day. The last thing you want is to get hurt. Same goes for truck drivers. Try not to give yourself a difficult route on Monday, if at all possible.
Exercise. Exercising will help you body combat the symptoms of fatigue caused by DST and help elevate your mood by raising your serotonin levels. This is especially useful for those who have pre-existing mental health conditions.
Give Yourself Some Grace. Be gentle and kind with yourself after the time change. If you feel off, then acknowledge it and slow down. Take more breaks. Hell, take Monday off if you need too. We all deserve a bit of grace in our lives. Especially with ourselves.