Spring Forward, Fall Back. Are Time Changes Bad For Your Health? - CleanTechnica

The article from CleanTechnica explores the history and health implications of Daylight Saving Time (DST), a practice of adjusting clocks forward in spring and back in fall to better align waking hours with daylight. DST has roots dating back to ancient Rome and was formally proposed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with various countries adopting it at different times, notably during wartime and after the 1970s energy crisis. Contrary to popular belief, farmers opposed DST because their schedules depend on natural sunlight rather than clocks. The U.S. first implemented DST during World War I and II. Regarding health, the article highlights research indicating that the abrupt one-hour time change disrupts human circadian rhythms—internal biological clocks that regulate bodily functions according to light and dark cycles. Martin Young from the University of Alabama at Birmingham notes that the spring shift forward is linked to a 10-24% increase in heart attack risk shortly after the change, as well as more traffic accidents and strokes.