Experts: Turning Back the Clock is Better for Our Body Clock

(KNSI) — As the clocks fall back to standard time this weekend, medical experts say they are not expecting the same surge in medical incidents that we see in the spring.

Dr. Akinbolaji Akingbola is an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota’s School of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine. He says there are fewer things such as accidents, heart attacks and strokes when we go back an hour because the change in the fall is easier on us. “With our natural rhythm, and the rise of the sun, and the sun going down being more aligned with our circadian rhythm, we see less health events in the short term around that fall change compared to the spring change.”

Sleep experts say there’s a 20% to 24% increase in medical emergencies because many of them are induced by a lack of sleep, which is more common when we take an hour away.

Dr. Akingbola says if you are feeling tired, “Listen to your body. If your body is wanting to go to sleep a little bit earlier try that out. Get as much sleep as possible but I think this change is a lot easier for people to deal with.”

Clocks go back to standard time at 2:00 a.m. Sunday.

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