Saturday, October 28, 2006
Don't forget to fall back, but dont fall to hard
Falling back has its downsides
Article Launched:10/28/2006 12:00:00 AM PDT
Since its unofficial debut in 1884, springing forward and falling back for daylight-saving has powerful potential.
According to the California Energy Commission, the simple act of changing a clock twice a year has resulted in saving lives and energy as well as preventing traffic accidents and crime.
It even has the power to make tonight's sleep feel one hour longer.
But sleep experts are slow to praise the idea of changing time, with some saying the gift of an extra hour during the last week in October can have detrimental effects on snoozing habits.
"There is an internal clock in our bodies," said Dr. Dennis Nicholson, physician and medical director of Pomona Valley Hospital's Sleep Center. "The suprachiasmatic nucleus in our brain is a clock that regularly causes certain hormones to be released at a certain time."
Nicholson said there have been numerous studies conducted on the process of shifting our clocks and changing the level of hormones.
"Our brain releases the hormone melatonin, which tells us to go to sleep earlier and get up earlier," he said.
In the daylight-saving time process, which has been compared to jet lag, Nicholson believes that participants are forced to go to sleep at a different time than when their clock is ready.
http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_4563190
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Article Launched:10/28/2006 12:00:00 AM PDT
Since its unofficial debut in 1884, springing forward and falling back for daylight-saving has powerful potential.
According to the California Energy Commission, the simple act of changing a clock twice a year has resulted in saving lives and energy as well as preventing traffic accidents and crime.
It even has the power to make tonight's sleep feel one hour longer.
But sleep experts are slow to praise the idea of changing time, with some saying the gift of an extra hour during the last week in October can have detrimental effects on snoozing habits.
"There is an internal clock in our bodies," said Dr. Dennis Nicholson, physician and medical director of Pomona Valley Hospital's Sleep Center. "The suprachiasmatic nucleus in our brain is a clock that regularly causes certain hormones to be released at a certain time."
Nicholson said there have been numerous studies conducted on the process of shifting our clocks and changing the level of hormones.
"Our brain releases the hormone melatonin, which tells us to go to sleep earlier and get up earlier," he said.
In the daylight-saving time process, which has been compared to jet lag, Nicholson believes that participants are forced to go to sleep at a different time than when their clock is ready.
http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_4563190
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