DENVER ( KDVR ) — As clocks fell back an hour on Sunday, what kind of impacts can daylight saving time have on your mind and your body?
Dr. Cynthia Erickson is a psychology associate professor at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. She said that even though we got an extra hour of sleep Sunday morning, the effects of daylight saving time can last far longer than just one night.
“Consistent sleep and wake cycles are important for both mental and physical health,” said Erickson.
She said those cycles are thrown off every time daylight saving time comes around. The cycle is called your circadian rhythm.
“We go through about 12 hours of wakefulness and about 12 hours of sleepiness,” Erickson said.
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And those 12-hour cycles have a natural measurement.
“Light is the thing that helps us sync our 24-hour cycles to the cues around us,” said Erickson.
A measurement she believes shouldn’t be messed with. Erickson said altering how much light we experience in a day can cause changes to how we live. One big indicator is seeing a change in how people drive this time of year.