The mysteries of time and sleep

[Katalina]

linky
It’s that time of year again, when crocuses bloom, the lawn starts to need mowing, and most Americans lose an hour’s sleep setting their clocks ahead. (Remember? Spring forward, fall back.) So here are answers to your questions about the time switch — and about sleep.



For most Americans, the first weekend of April is the time for moving clocks ahead for daylight-saving time. As the year progresses toward the June solstice, the Northern Hemisphere gets longer periods of sunlight. Timekeepers came up with daylight-saving time — or summer time, as it’s known in other parts of the world — to shift some of that extra sun time from the early morning (when timekeepers need their shut-eye) to the evening (when they play softball).

Not everybody goes along with this plan, as folks in places like Arizona, Hawaii and parts of Indiana know quite well. Each state or country comes up with its own schedule for the switch: This year, many countries went to summer time a week earlier than the United States. And yes, some countries in the Southern Hemisphere are moving their clocks back an hour at this time of year.

If you’re in the “spring forward” mode, don’t lose any sleep over the hour you’re losing. Aside from leaving you a bit groggy, it won’t have much effect on your health. But Dr. Rosalind Cartwright, sleep expert at Rush Medical Center in Chicago, says that if you lose too much sleep, even a couple of hours for just two or three days, your immune system suffers, and you’re more susceptible to colds and viral infections.

She also explains that if you get to sleep too late, or up too early, your body will make sure it gets the deep sleep it needs for rest. What you lose is the light sleep during which you dream, which is important for mood. Which explains why you might feel groggy and grumpy after we “spring forward” to daylight saving time.

[The Frog]

It's a stupid needless system that should be abandoned.

If people need more sunlight on the later half of their day there are two much more sensible options:

wait 3 more weeks- by then the sun is naturally up later.

change your freaking schedule, you morons.




As much as I've always thought it was stupid, it becme more annoying as soon as I had kids who, as a rule, don't get up based on a clock but rather on thier bio-rythms... which cannot be 'set' forward or back overnight.