Daylight Saving Time is once again coming to an end, which means that we get an extra hour at 2 a.m. Sunday. That might sound nice, but this tradition can have negative consequences for children.
These include an impact on their mental wellness, daily patterns and health, according to the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) . Dr. Kate Williamson, a pediatrician at the hospital, spoke with KNX News’ Nataly Tavidian about it this Saturday.
She said that when children are tired, it might not manifest in ways that people expect.
“Sometimes when kids are really tired, they may not actually look tired,” she said. “They may in fact be running around and seeming to have tons of energy, but they’re just not able to use their resiliency tactics. Little might really set them off – they’re may be more tears, there may be more arguments.”
Williamson said that human bodies love routine and schedules. Daylight Saving time can throw that off.
In the U.S., Daylight Saving Time was formally implemented in 1918 and most parts of the country still observe it by setting clocks one hour ahead on the second Sunday in May and one hour behind on the second Sunday in November. By doing this, the country hopes to take advantage of more daylight hours during the warmer months of the year.