Doctors warn your health may be impacted as we leave Daylight Saving Time
SANTA MARIA, Calif. - This Sunday at 2 a.m., we will be leaving Daylight Saving Time and moving back to Standard Time. This annual change means our clocks will be turned back one hour.
"Personally, I would just rather not do the time changes. I would like to get it set at one and stay that way," said Paul McCaw of Santa Maria.
Doctors at Marian Regional Medical Center say for some, moving the clock back one hour can affect elders, kids or anyone due to the time change.
"So we’re going to get an extra hour of sleep and, if you’re working overnight, maybe you’ll get an extra hour of work," said Dr. Scott Robertson at Marian Regional Medical Center.
The time change also means the sun will set an hour earlier in the afternoon.
Robertson says moving the clock by one hour can especially affect seniors and kids.
"There’s less daylight out there as we head into the winter months and it certainly could lead into what we call seasonal affective disorder where we see higher rates of depression, anxiety and even insomnia sometimes," said Robertson.
Robertson suggests starting the morning by opening your curtains. "Try to get as much natural light into your home or work as possible."
Another tip is to try to get enough exercise or activity that will help your health move in a positive direction.
"Limit any sort of alcohol consumption as this can affect your sleep and can exacerbate any sort of depressive or any anxiety symptoms that you have," said Robertson.
As we get into the holidays, he encourages everyone to limit high expectations.
"I think it’s going to be good because people can spend more time with their families and have more quality time together," said Audrey McDonald of Santa Maria.
