The Downside of Daylight Saving Time

If getting up seemed a lot harder this morning, rest assured that you're not the only one feeling the pain. Actually, it's the "rest" part that's probably troubling you. Sunday's shift to daylight saving time has us getting up an hour earlier than usual. It's like experiencing a mild case of jetlag, except worse.

Daylight saving time has always been a difficult adjustment for night owls, who need several mugs of coffee or caffeinated tea to feel human in the morning. Unfortunately, the adjustment became a lot harder in 2007, when we started making the shift a full three weeks earlier—the second Sunday in March instead of the first weekend of April. The change means that many of us will spend the rest of March waking up in the dark.

This is especially bad news for people suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of clinical depression whose symptoms include low energy and fatigue, difficulty concentrating, moodiness, intense carbohydrate cravings, increased sleep, and decreased interest in sex.

SAD is most common in northern latitudes where days are very short in the winter, but researchers are starting to realize it's not the total amount of daylight that triggers the disorder—it's having to slog through dark mornings.

If you suffer from winter depression, the early shift to daylight saving time means you'd better not put away your light box just yet.
Even for those whose winter blahs don't quite reach the level of clinical depression, the next few weeks may be tough. You may end up hitting the snooze button a bit more often, or taking naps during the day. Luckily, naps have been shown to improve productivity, so you can full rationalize getting some extra shut-eye.

Speaking of which, that's sounding like a great idea right now.

Read More: The Dark Side of Daylight Saving Time