Health
Sleep doctor reveals the brutal health downside of daylight saving time
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The Trump administration is taking another look at ending biannual clock changes, with an eye toward making daylight saving time (DST), or the “summer clock,” permanent.
On May 21, the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent in a 48-1 vote, part of a largely bipartisan push to end twice-yearly clock changes.
Although gaining extra winter evening daylight might seem like a win, health experts say permanent daylight saving time could disrupt people’s natural circadian rhythms.
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In an interview with Fox News Digital, Dr. Wendy Troxel, a licensed clinical psychologist and senior behavioral scientist at RAND based in Utah, said science is being “misconstrued” in this decision.
“Ending the biannual clock change is something most sleep scientists and the public would welcome,” she said. “The disruption of springing forward every March is associated with real, measurable harm — spikes in car crashes, heart attacks and sleep deprivation.”
The Trump administration is taking another look at ending semiannual clock changes, with an eye toward making daylight saving time, or the “summer clock,” permanent. (iStock)
However, Troxel noted, implementing permanent daylight saving time is “not supported by science.” Instead, evidence “strongly supports” permanent standard time, or the “winter clock,” according to the expert.
Major sleep medicine organizations, including the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, have previously supported adopting permanent standard time over permanent daylight saving time.
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“Standard time is more closely aligned with human circadian biology, meaning the relationship between light, darkness and our internal clocks remains intact,” Troxel said.
“Permanent DST simply shifts an hour of morning sunlight to the evening, and there are significant health and safety costs of that trade.”
“Standard time is more closely aligned with human circadian biology,” the expert said. (iStock)
The U.S. attempted permanent DST in the early 1970s, but the plan was aborted in part due to these “morning consequences,” according to the sleep expert.
“Within a year, the law was repealed amid public displeasure with commuting to work and school in the dark and increases in morning car crashes, and with no demonstrable impact on energy savings,” Troxel told Fox News Digital.
Why morning sunlight matters
Human circadian rhythms are primarily “anchored” by morning light, Troxel said. Under permanent DST, most people waking up for work or school would be rising before the sun, which forces a “chronic misalignment between the body’s internal clock and the external world.”
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“You cannot override that biology by simply shifting external clocks forward,” the expert said. “What you get instead is a population that is effectively waking up in the middle of their biological night, every single day.”
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The public has typically supported having more daylight in winter evenings, which could alleviate mental health conditions such as seasonal depression.
Supporters of permanent daylight saving time argue that later evening daylight could encourage outdoor activity, recreation and consumer spending after work or school.
Morning light is “crucial to regulate sleep, [boost] alertness and support mental health,” according to a sleep expert. (iStock)
Troxel agreed that light is a “powerful regulator” for sleep and moods, but noted that not all types have the same benefits.
“Morning light is crucial to regulate sleep, alertness and support mental health, and this would be sacrificed with permanent daylight saving time,” she noted.
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In some areas of the country, like Utah, Americans wouldn’t see the sunrise until about 9 a.m. in the winter, which some research has linked to higher rates of depression and seasonal mood challenges.
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“More evening light may feel enjoyable, in part because we equate it with lovely summer evenings, but permanent daylight saving time does not mean permanent summer,” Troxel emphasized. “It just means we will get less morning sunlight and more evening sunlight.”
“Exposure to light in the evening further pushes circadian rhythms later, making it more difficult to fall asleep and harder to wake up in the morning.”
Risks for vulnerable groups
Permanent daylight saving time can intensify people’s habit of “bedtime procrastination,” deepen sleep deprivation and contribute to the widespread public health issue of insufficient sleep already identified by the Institute of Medicine, according to Troxel.
Teens are most at risk of mental health complications if permanent DST extends darkness in the morning. (iStock)
Various studies have shown that people typically sleep less in summer compared to winter. Troxel said this is particularly concerning in a society where one in three people are already getting insufficient shuteye.
“This is especially alarming for teenagers, a population the U.S. surgeon general has identified as being in a mental health crisis,” she cautioned.
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For example, a teen waking up at 6:30 a.m. for an 8 a.m. school start time under permanent DST would be rising biologically at 5:30 a.m., Troxel noted, which is “in the middle of their biological night.”
“Framing permanent DST as a fix for seasonal depression gets the science exactly backwards,” she added.
Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
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Reducing your risk of cancer death may be as simple as taking brief breaks for physical activity throughout the day, according to a new observational study.
The study, led by researchers from the University of Glasgow studying the association between cancer and prolonged sedentary behavior, found that participants who regularly interrupted prolonged sitting with physical activity had a lower risk of cancer death.
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“This study adds to growing evidence that prolonged sedentary behavior is an independent health risk,” Dr. Georgia Spear, chief of breast imaging at Northwestern Medicine, told Fox News Digital.
“While it does not prove that sitting causes cancer, it suggests that long, uninterrupted periods of sitting are associated with a higher risk of cancer mortality,” Spear explained. “The findings reinforce existing public-health recommendations that regular movement throughout the day is an important component of cancer prevention.”
Prolonged sedentary periods are associated with increased risk of cancer death, researchers observed. (iStock)
The researchers monitored 91,292 volunteer participants in the U.K. who wore movement-tracking devices on their wrists for seven days to track their sedentary habits. The scientists followed the volunteers’ health outcomes over the course of about 12 years.
The researchers defined prolonged sedentary behavior as any bout that lasted “at least 30 minutes and during which at least 90% of the time was sedentary.”
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They defined interrupted sitting as sessions that lasted fewer than 30 minutes or were interrupted by brief periods of physical activity.
Each additional hour per day of prolonged sedentary behavior was associated with a 10% higher risk of cancer death, the researchers reported in their study, published by PLOS Medicine.
Light physical activity, including household chores, such as ironing, are associated with reduced cancer death risk. (iStock)
Replacing one hour of sitting each day with light activity was associated with a 12% lower risk of cancer death. Replacing 30 minutes with moderate activity was linked to an 8% lower risk, and replacing just five minutes with vigorous activity was associated with a 22% lower risk.
The researchers classified light physical activity as walking at a low speed and performing household chores, such as ironing a shirt or washing dishes.
These findings should be interpreted with caution, the researchers wrote, “because the study cannot prove causality.”
The volunteers may not represent the wider population, they noted, “and the activity monitor captured behavior only during a limited period without showing the context of sedentary behavior, such as work, television viewing or driving.”
Spear said that existing research has linked sedentary behavior to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and several cancers.
Breaking up periods of sitting or reclining with physical activity is key to reducing the risk of cancer death, researchers found. (iStock)
“What is notable here is the finding that how people sit appears to matter, not just the total amount,” she said. “Breaking up sitting with regular movement may provide measurable health benefits.”
According to Spear, other simple lifestyle strategies can be highly effective at reducing cancer-death risk.
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“Stand and move every 30 to 60 minutes, take short walking breaks, including after meals, use the stairs, walk during phone calls and incorporate light activity throughout the day,” she recommended.
“Combined with regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol, not smoking and staying current with recommended cancer screening, these habits can help reduce the risk of breast cancer and other chronic diseases.”
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A simple lifestyle adjustment could potentially slow down the body’s biological aging process, according to new research.
The study, published in the journal Aging, investigated how a diet change and easy exercise regimen affected men between the ages of 50 and 74 over a three-month period.
Researchers designed a clinical trial involving 48 overweight men in Japan. Over a 12-week period, half of the participants followed a strictly structured wellness routine, while the other half maintained their usual habits.
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For the intervention group, the routine required consuming 100 grams of plain yogurt every day.
This group also received individualized dietary counseling that advised them to curb overeating, avoid excessive snacking and cut out sugary drinks.
A simple lifestyle adjustment could potentially slow down the body’s biological aging process, according to new research. (iStock)
They were also instructed to walk or use a stepper machine for roughly 30 minutes a day, at least three days each week.
To measure the impact of these changes, the scientists collected blood samples from all participants before and after the study, and also analyzed DNA for chemical changes that act as indicators of cellular age.
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Specifically, they used a measurement tool called DunedinPACE. Rather than assessing a person’s chronological age in years, this tool calculates the precise rate at which an individual’s body is currently aging.
The men who consumed the probiotic yogurt, adjusted their diets and exercised showed a statistically significant reduction in their pace of aging compared to the control group, the researchers said.
The anti-aging benefits cannot be attributed to any single component on its own due to the variety in the study, the researchers noted. (iStock)
On average, the speed of their biological aging slowed by approximately 2.2%. This reduction is roughly comparable to the slowing of biological aging observed in a previous two-year U.S. study, in which participants reduced their daily calorie intake by 25%.
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This reduction in aging speed happened independently of weight loss , meaning it did not directly correlate with changes in the participants’ body mass index or the exact number of exercise sessions they logged.
The researchers also recorded a noticeable improvement in a specific DNA marker that is linked to kidney function.
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Because this study combined three distinct factors — probiotics, diet and exercise — the authors concluded that the anti-aging benefits cannot be attributed to any single component. Instead, the slowed aging rate appears to be the result of a combined effect.
The reduction in aging speed happened independently of weight loss, the study found. (iStock)
The researchers also acknowledged clear limitations of the study, including its small sample size and short duration. Also, the participant pool was restricted to overweight men of a single nationality.
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More research is needed to determine whether these short-term biological shifts can translate into permanent, long-term health benefits, the study stated.
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The simple act of noting how fast your heart is beating while you’re at rest may be the key to measuring your overall health.
Resting heart rate is defined by Mayo Clinic as the number of times your heart beats each minute while you’re awake, calm and not moving.
A normal resting heart rate ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute for adults. A slower resting heart rate means the heart does not have the work as heard to pump blood through the body — something typical of someone who is more fit.
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Athletes who are very fit may have a resting heart rate closer to 40 beats per minute, according to Mayo Clinic.
Your resting heart rate can vary due to a variety of factors, including age, physical activity levels, sleep health, smoking, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, stress, anxiety, hormones, body type and certain medications.
A normal resting heart rate ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute for adults, according to medical experts. (iStock)
But a resting heart rate that’s often too high or too low may signal a health issue.
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A high resting heart rate, even if it’s slight, is usually a sign that something else may be going on in the body, such as anemia, an infection or a thyroid problem, according to Cleveland Clinic.
A high resting heart rate, even if it’s slight, is usually a sign that something else may be going on in the body. (iStock)
If your heart rate is regularly above 100 beats per minute, this is a sign to talk with your heart care provider.
The same advice applies if you are not a trained athlete and your resting heart rate is frequently below 60 beats per minute.
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Talk to your doctor if other symptoms such as fainting, dizziness or shortness of breath occur.
How to measure your heart rate
You can check your own heart rate by tracking your pulse on your wrist or neck. The best time of day to measure resting heart rate is first thing in the morning, says Mayo Clinic.
Place your index and middle fingers inside the wrist below the thumb, to feel the radial artery; or, do so on the side of the neck, to feel the carotid artery.
Place your index and middle fingers on the side of the neck, to feel the carotid artery — and count how many beats per minute. (iStock)
Count the number of times your pulse beats in 15 seconds, then multiply this number by four to calculate beats per minute.
Wearable devices can also detect and track resting heart rate, although this may not always be accurate.
How to lower your heart rate
If your resting heart rate is higher than normal, there are a few ways to work toward lowering it.
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Vigorous exercise is “the best way” to lower your resting heart rate and increase the heart’s aerobic capacity and max heart rate, according to Harvard.
For those who don’t exercise regularly, it’s important to work your way up in difficulty when following a new workout routine.
Vigorous exercise is “the best way” to lower your resting heart rate, Harvard Health says. But it’s vital to work your way up carefully. (iStock)
Some medications, such as beta blockers, can also lower heart rate. In the same way, managing stress through holistic methods such as meditation or yoga can also help.
Cleveland Clinic also recommends cutting back on harmful substances such as drugs and alcohol, which can dehydrate you and raise your heart rate.
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Adequate sleep can also help bring your heart rate down, in addition to maintaining a healthy weight.
Cardiologist Tamanna Singh, M.D., shared with Cleveland Clinic that lowering your heart rate takes time as various lifestyle changes kick in.
Managing stress through holistic methods such as meditation or yoga can help lower your resting heart rate,
“Just like building your biceps and triceps, it takes time for your heart to become stronger,” the doctor said.
Singh recommended focusing on heart rate patterns rather than dialing in on just the number.
Take note of how your heart rate changes after eating certain foods, when you’re dehydrated or after you’ve begun a new exercise or stress management routine.
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“If you notice that your heart rate is consistently over 100, mention it to your doctor, especially if you’ve tried making lifestyle changes and they don’t seem to be working,” she said.
“Your resting heart rate isn’t the be-all, end-all of your health, but it’s definitely a marker that you should pay attention to.”
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