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REAL LIFE NEWS: SEE, I TOLD YOU THE CLOCK CHANGE WAS BAD FOR YOU

by Hazed

My hatred of the Spring clock change where we lose an hour’s sleep is justified by new research which shows that in the two days following the change, the risk of suffering a heart attack goes up by 10%.

Scientists from the University of Alabama said the sleep deprivation together with the schedule disruption means that the Monday and Tuesday pose a particular risk. The Sunday directly after the clock change doesn’t cause a problem because most people don’t have to get up early at the weekend.

They aren’t sure exactly why this is so, but have a number of theories.

Professor Martin Young in the Division of Cardivascular Disease said, “Sleep deprivation can alter other body processes, including inflammatory response, which can contribute to a heart attack.

“And, your reaction to sleep deprivation and the time change also depends on whether you are a morning person or night owl.”

Since I’m a night owl that must mean I’m more at risk. Oh dear!

“Every cell in the body has its own clock that allows it to anticipate when something is going to happen and prepare for it,” he explained. “When there is a shift in one’s environment, such as springing forward, it takes a while for the cells to readjust.

“The internal clocks in each cell can prepare it for stress or a stimulus. When time moves forward, cell clocks are anticipating another hour to sleep that they won’t get, and the negative impact of the stress worsens; it has a much more detrimental effect on the body.”

The obvious solution is to stop changing the clocks! But since that’s not likely to happen, the Prof comes up with a number of things you can do to help acclimatize. For example, wake up 30 minutes earlier on Saturday and Sunday, to help prepare for Monday’s early start. Eat a decent-sized breakfast, get some exercise over the weekend, and go out in the sunshine in the early morning.

“Doing all of this will help reset both the central, or master, clock in the brain that reacts to changes in light/dark cycles, and the peripheral clocks – the ones everywhere else including the one in the heart — that react to food intake and physical activity. This will enable your body to naturally synch with the change in the environment, which may lessen your chance of adverse health issues on Monday.”

The good news is that the Autumn time change doesn’t make it more likely that your heart will give up. On the contrary, the risk decreases about 10% when you get that lovely extra hour of sleep. I can’t wait.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9165586/Clock-change-heart-attack-link.html

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