This past Sunday morning (or Saturday night depending how you look at it), we turned our clocks back one hour to end Daylight Savings Time.
Here is an article from the Huffington Post that addresses how the time change can affect our health: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/06/daylight-savings-time-health_n_1078661.html
Personally, I relish recouping the hour that we lost in the Spring. My reason is not because it could afford me that extra hour of much needed sleep, rather I like waking a little earlier and relaxing a bit in the morning. I split the hour - take an extra 30 minutes of sleep and feel more rested and still have time to enjoy a cup of coffee or a little morning chit chat with my daughter. She remains blissfully unaware that we are supposed to sleep a little longer and believes that if the sun is up then we should be too. I like enthusiasm much more in theory than in actual practice when she pads into our bedroom and announces that it's time to get up - in my bleary-eyed, exhausted stupor I tend to agree with her logic but some mornings pose more of a challenge than others.
The fact remains that sleep is good for your health! Chronic sleep loss can contribute to health problems such as weight gain, high blood pressure, and a decrease in the immune system’s power. Here is a second article, this one from Harvard Women's Health Watch that suggests 6 reasons to get those 7-8 hours of sleep.
I for one will be in bed early tonight, as the sun shines a little earlier than it did a week ago.
The JFA Worksite Wellness Team shares stories, tips and information about living well, or doing the best they can, while balancing life and working as worksite wellness professionals.
