Pittsburgh doctor explains how changing the clocks impacts your body
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A Pittsburgh-based doctor is explaining some impacts that the clock change that's taking place this weekend can have on your body.
In order to get to Daylight Saving Time, each spring we have to lose an hour of sleep and then in the spring, we fall back.
Sleep experts applaud the change and the impact it can have on the body.
"When we're going back to really what is normal, this is a better time of the year for our body," said Allegheny Health Network Sleep Disorders Center Director Dr. Daniel Shade. "It's a better time for our circadian rhythm. It's a better time for our health."
Dr. Shade says while we might change our clocks, our bodies still see and crave noon as noon and that when the sun rises earlier on Sunday and moving forward, the sun is actually up when most people get up and it leads to having more energy.
Dr. Shade also says to be glad for the clock rollback and that we need it.
"What you should do is take advantage of this rare opportunity to get another hour of extra sleep if you can," Dr. Shade said. "Most all of us are walking around with the sleep debt or a little bit of sleep deprivation, and this is the one opportunity where we actually get to try to get an extra hour of sleep."
On the other end of the day, he says not to fight the impact of it getting darker earlier with a flood of artificial lighting.
Dr. Shade says the change can bring on a bit of Seasonal Affective Disorder and maybe a tinge of depression, but it shouldn't last long, and if it does, consult your doctor.
He says some people will adapt the same day and others could take longer, but on average, most children and adults adjust within a few days.
And don't forget, it's also the time to change the batteries in your smoke detector.
