WESTON, Fla. – Sunday marks the end of daylight saving time for 2023 and sleep experts say our health will benefit.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has long advocated year-round Standard Time which is much more in line with our natural circadian rhythms.
“Standard time where you wake up more so with the sunrise than afterwards is much more in line with our body clocks. This is one of the main signals, that is sunrise, to our brain to tell us, ‘Hey it’s time to wake up and transition from that sleep and drowsy state to starting the day and when you’re consistently waking up before the sun, you’re going against that natural body clock to some degree,” said Dr. Samuel Gurevich, a pulmonologist and sleep specialist with Cleveland Clinic Weston.
Gurevich said darkness in the morning as a result of Daylight Saving Time also poses safety concerns, including data showing an increased risk of traffic accidents.
An attempt to establish nationwide Daylight Saving Time back in the 70′s was so unpopular Congress ended the two-year experiment after just 8 months.
EXISTING MEDICATIONS MAY EASE KIDNEY STONE DISEASE
There may be yet another benefit from statin drugs and other medications used to treat cholesterol and heart disease.
Researchers at the University of Florida College of Medicine have found that statins and a variety of additional existing drugs may provide value as a secondary therapy for kidney stone disease.
Cases of kidney stone disease are rising around the world, particularly in places like Florida where hot humid weather plays a role in kidney stone formation.