A recent study by the Mayo Clinic has looked into how daylight saving time (DST) affects our heart health and found that its impact is probably small.
This research, which covered a nationwide scope, analyzed data from over 36 million adults in the United States, excluding those from Arizona and Hawaii since these states don’t follow DST.
The study’s main focus was on the weeks immediately following the changes to DST in spring and fall, when clocks are adjusted by an hour.
The lead researcher, Dr. Benjamin Satterfield, alongside his team, utilized a sophisticated statistical approach to explore any potential links between DST and serious heart issues, such as heart attacks and strokes.
After examining data from a five-year span, Dr. Satterfield concluded that daylight saving time is unlikely to cause any significant differences in cardiovascular health.
During the DST transitions in spring and fall, the study identified 74,722 cases of adverse cardiovascular events.
These events included hospitalizations for heart attacks, strokes, cardiogenic shock, or cardiac arrest. The occurrence of these events raised questions about whether DST could be contributing to an increase in such health issues.
Despite noting a slight uptick in cardiovascular events on the Monday and Friday following the spring time change, the researchers determined these increases were not significant enough to warrant concern over DST’s impact on heart health.
The purpose behind DST, which is to better align day-to-day activities with daylight hours and reduce the need for artificial lighting, does not, according to this study, adversely affect heart health.
The study’s senior author, cardiologist Dr. Bernard J. Gersh, emphasized that when considering the future of daylight saving time, heart health does not need to be a factor.
This conclusion could help inform ongoing debates about the merits of DST, which also take into account other health aspects such as mental well-being and the rate of motor vehicle accidents.
This investigation, published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes journal, offers valuable insights into the long-discussed topic of daylight saving time and its effects on health, suggesting that, at least where heart health is concerned, the impact of DST is minimal.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies that herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm, and how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies that apple juice could benefit your heart health, and results showing yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease.
The research findings can be found in Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes.
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