Many Americans welcome the extra hour of sleep we get when we turn our clocks back in the fall—but the time change "can influence our health in unexpected ways," Allison Aubrey reports for NPR’s "Shots."
Understand the wellness spectrum—and promote healthy habits at work
While a one-hour time change might not seem significant, our internal clocks can struggle to keep up with the sudden shift in time, according to Fred Turek, director of the Center for Sleep and Circadian Biology at Northwestern University. "[I]t turns out that the master clock in our brain is pretty hard-wired" to a consistent 24-hour cycle, he said. "The internal clock has to catch up, and it takes a day or two to adjust to the new time."
Our cells have time-regulating functions that keep our metabolism and sleep schedule on track, Aubrey reports. When we change the time we go to sleep, wake up, or eat, it can have negative effects on these functions.
On top of that, as the winter months approach, "[t]he [decrease] in daylight can throw off a lot of things including socialization and emotional rhythm," according to Sanam Hafeez, an adjunct assistant professor of psychology at Columbia University.
But experts say there are several steps one can take to combat the potential negative health effects of turning the clock back. Below we round up the five most-recommended actions.
Programs aimed at promoting healthy habits among employees are likely to lead to improved employee engagement and productivity—but they're unlikely to reduce the total cost of care. To do that, you'll need to take a population health approach.
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