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[The following is an exact transcript of this podcast.]
Ticking clock indeed. Already it’s time to turn clocks forward one hour this Sunday morning, March 8th.
Two years ago Congress ordered Daylight Saving Time to launch three weeks early, in an effort to save energy. More evening light may mean less electricity used.
But it also means more blues for those prone to winter depression. The change sets us back to mid-January in terms of morning light, according to Michael Terman, a biological rhythms expert at Columbia University.
Light is what preps us for waking, alerting the brain to increase body temperature and cortisol, and decrease melatonin. When we’re forced to wake in darkness, we feel like it’s the middle of the night, and from our body’s perspective it is, and we’re tired.
Terman’s recent research shows there is more depression on the western edges of time zones in the U.S., where the sun rises later.
Simplest way to combat this, says David Avery, professor of psychiatry at the University of Washington, is to use a dawn simulator, a device that creates gradual light, or program your bedside lamp to turn on about 20 minutes before you wake up.
—Christie Nicholson
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8 Comments
Add Commentwhy the prof. said we back to mid-January? who can explain for me
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswhy does the expert say The change sets us back to mid-January in terms of morning light???
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI can't understand.
Well if you get up at 5am it's not going to make any difference. Dark this morning, will be just as dark after DST kicks in.... gotta catch the sunshine at lunchtime either way!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe latest sunrise of the year is near the winter solstice, and the earliest is near the summer solstice. (The reason it's not exactly at the solstice is interesting, and depends on your latitude.) Setting the clock ahead effectively moves sunrise forwards too. If the sun rose at 6, I set my clock ahead, so now the sun rose at 7, and the last time it did that was sometime between now and last December 21, like January.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisthanks a lot
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTHANKYOU SCHOLTES FOR EXPLAINING THIS. I KNEW WHAT IT MEANT.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBUT YOU DID A GOOD JOB EXPLANING.
THIS IS A GOOD ARTICLE.
Why do we still get more light in Arizona even though we do not turn the clocks forward?( We do not observe DST)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIs there really an energy saving? If "yes", is it worth the trouble of making the switch?
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