It’s that time of year again: Spring forward as we move into Daylight Saving Time.
A majority of Californians want it to stay that way year-round, as evidenced by the passage of Proposition 7 in 2018. The measure gives the state the authority to make Daylight Saving Time permanent.
“I study chronobiology, which is the timing of biology," Dr. Emily Manoogian told a KPBS crew as they began their interview with her on Friday. Manoogian is a scientist at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. She said chronobiology means what your body is doing and when, and how that relates to the environment.
“And one of the main things that triggers all those different cues to your body to say what time of day it is, is light," she said.
So, we lose an hour of sleep once a year. No big deal, right? Wrong.
Manoogian said rapid shifting in a person's sleep pattern, an hour in just a day, can lead to a whole host of negative health effects.
“Increased weight gain and eventually obesity, increased cardiac events like heart attack and stroke, increased car accidents because you’re not as coordinated, and general moodiness as well," are just some of the ill effects Manoogian mentioned.
Getting up when it’s still dark is more than a gloomy experience. It’s also not good for your circadian rhythm.
“Your body needs that bright light in the morning to be able to coordinate everything throughout your body," said Manoogian.
Back to Prop. 7. It’s been four years since voters passed it, so why aren’t we on permanent Daylight Saving Time?
The answer is found in Washington, D.C. It turns out Congress has to change federal law to allow California to proceed. That doesn’t seem to be in the cards for now, so Manoogian offered some tips to cope with the change.
“Maybe go to sleep and wake up 30 minutes earlier a day before and then 30 minutes on the actual day of," she said. "Or if you have a few more days, maybe 15 minutes each day just so your body’s able to catch up with it."
Whatever you can do, to stay on the sunny side of life.
