ATTENTION: Daylight savings starts tomorrow — don’t let it disturb your sleep pattern
Unbelievable: Nearly half of Americans still suspect disproven vaccine-autism link
March 11, 2011If you’re going to take echinacea for the common cold …
March 14, 2011Well, technically this year’s DST (or what some countries call “Summertime”) begins on Sunday, Mar. 13, 2011, at 2 am. And while it may be time to “spring ahead’’ and move the clock up by one hour, that lost hour of sleep has many wishing it was “fall back’’ to bed instead.
Nevertheless, are you worried that your or your children’s sleep patterns will be disrupted when the clocks move ahead one hour this weekend?
The key is getting enough zzz’s in advance, says one sleep expert in a report from HealthDay News.
First, make sure you’re well rested before the switch to daylight savings time on March 13, advises Dr. Aparajitha Verma, medical director of the Sleep Disorders Center at the Methodist Neurological Institute in Houston.
A bit of grogginess and even grumpiness is to be expected when losing precious snoozing time, but in recent years scientific studies have raised alarm about even harsher side effects.
But could Daylight Savings Time be the culprit behind heart attacks, traffic accidents, and cranky cows?
According to a report in the Miami-Herald, in 2008, Swedish researchers found there was a 7 percent increase in heart attacks the Monday after spring’s Daylight Savings switch and a 2003 study by Stanford University and John Hopkins University reported more fatal traffic accidents the Monday after the time change.
So, what can you do to retain your health during this transition?
One way is to start changing your sleep habits today, for example, start going to sleep an hour earlier tonight (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday), and getting up an hour earlier (Saturday).
You can also take a nap on Sunday afternoon if you feel you need to and you have the time. But avoid napping within a few hours of your regular bedtime because that could disrupt your nighttime sleep, she added.
I hope these tips are helpful to you and yours.
0 Comments
I am also highly suspicious of vaccines and will never allow one to be put in my body ever again. I much prefer the eat-well-live-well method of health care. I agree with the MDs who say that vaccines are dangerous. I’m a big fan of Dr. Joseph Mercola, who also is a big opponent of vaccines, most recently the H1N1.
Patrick, I’ve met Dr. Mercola and think is a very nice and a sincere person. At one time, he posted some nice words about me on his web site (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2000/04/16/dangers-of-televsion-review.aspx). However, on this issue, the vast majority of evidence-based physicians and researchers disagree with him and I believe he is sincerely wrong.
Furthermore, I was saddened to learn (as you may be) that QuackWatch.com:
(1) Lists Dr. Mercola under the category of “Promoters of Questionable Methods.” (http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/index.html)
(2) Lists Dr. Mercola’s Web site under the category of “Nonrecommended Major Sites.” It says, “Each of these sites provides a huge amount of information, most or all of which promotes unsubstantiated theories and/or methods. They may be useful to researchers seeking descriptions of these theories and methods from their proponents. However, they should be avoided by persons seeking high-quality information on which to base a health-related decision.”
(3) Last but not least, “FDA Orders Dr. Joseph Mercola to Stop Illegal Claims.” (http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/mercola.html)