BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – Daylight Saving Time began Sunday, and beyond losing an hour of sleep, health experts warn the time change carries added risks for people with a history of heart disease.
Martin Young, a professor in UAB’s Division of Cardiovascular Disease, said heart attacks increase 10-24% on the Monday and Tuesday following the spring time change. He said multiple factors contribute to that spike, including loss of sleep and the misalignment of the body’s internal clock.
What happens to the body
Every cell in the human body has an internal time mechanism, also known as a circadian clock, responsible for driving rhythms in biological processes on a roughly 24-hour cycle, according to a UAB press release. When those clocks are interrupted or experience a sudden change, several health effects can follow.
“Going from a sleeping state to waking is already a stressful event in the body,” Young said. “When we have an abrupt change, like losing an hour of sleep with daylight saving time, our internal clocks don’t have enough time to reset various biological processes.”…