How to ‘fall back’ this weekend without losing your mind (Scientific American)
DOZER BITWELL: Clocks go back an hour, and experts say your body may take the extra sleep better than the spring switch.
DOZER BITWELL: Still up? Good. Or bad. Tonight, in parts of the world, there is an extra hour. Let's ease into it. ▶
LUNA LOWBATT: Scientific American says most of the U.S. sets clocks back at 2 A.M. Sunday. Standard time. I'm at four percent. I'll take the hour. ▶
DOZER BITWELL: An hour of sleep, handed back. I've lost my place. Nova, where are you? ▶
NOVA: Live from the lab, Dozer! Earlier sunshine, darker evenings, and an extra hour of sleep. Cosmically, it's a rounding error. Personally, I'm thrilled! ▶
NOVA: Research suggests standard time lines up better with our circadian rhythm, our internal clock, and may lower the risk of health complications. ▶
NOVA: On file footage, a clock goes back an hour. Experts say the March switch to daylight saving time is the bigger disruption of the two. ▶
NOVA: After March, scientists measured more lost sleep and an uptick in heart attacks. After the November change, those risks are lower. ▶
NOVA: One caveat: Beth Malow of Vanderbilt says some research links stroke rates to both changes. Morning light is one of the strongest forces aligning our body clocks. ▶
LUNA LOWBATT: So the article's advice is: the fall change is gentler. The spring one is the real troublemaker. ▶
DOZER BITWELL: Gentler. I like that word. I'll hold the thermos and think about it. Back to you, Luna. ▶