Daylight Saving Time Is a Public Health Crisis (And We Do It On Purpose)
Welcome to my absolute least favorite day of the year.
Last night, an hour was stolen from most of America. We don't get it back until we return to standard time in the fall. This morning, millions of people dragged themselves out of bed feeling like garbage. Tomorrow morning is going to be worse, because the acute hit of the clock change compounds when the work week starts and the alarm goes off earlier than your biology is ready for.
It's asinine. I hate it. I've hated it for years, and the data keeps giving me more reasons to.
The Numbers Aren't Subtle
The Monday after spring forward is one of the most dangerous days on the calendar. Not because of anything mysterious. Because sleep deprivation is hitting an entire population at once.
Heart attack rates spike roughly 24% in the days immediately following the spring transition. Stroke hospitalizations increase in the two days after the clock change. Car accidents go up. Workplace injuries climb. Suicide rates tick higher. Produc...
Why You Can't Sleep at Night But Can't Wake Up in the Morning (The Cortisol Problem)
You can't fall asleep at night. Your mind won't shut off. You're exhausted but wired. When you finally do sleep, you wake up at 2 or 3 AM and can't get back to sleep.
Then morning comes. The alarm goes off. You feel like you've been hit by a truck. You can't get out of bed. Coffee doesn't help. You're a zombie until 10 or 11 AM.
This sounds like two separate problems. It's not.
It's one problem: your cortisol rhythm is broken.
What Cortisol Is Supposed To Do
Cortisol is your primary stress hormone, produced by your adrenal glands. But it's not just about stress. Cortisol has a natural daily rhythm that governs your entire sleep-wake cycle.
Here's how it's supposed to work:
6-8 AM: Cortisol peaks. This is what wakes you up naturally, gives you energy to start the day, gets you out of bed without hitting snooze five times.
Throughout the day: Cortisol gradually declines. You maintain steady energy but you're not wired. You feel alert and functional.
Evening (8-10 PM): Cortisol ...
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