(The Safety Assurance and Compliance Program (SACP) Communication Sub-Committee on Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway issued the following news release on April 2.)
FORT WORTH, Texas — This Sunday, April 4, at 2 a.m., local time, we move our clocks forward an hour for Daylight-Saving Time (DST). That “spring forward” may bring some unexpected hazards, however.
Under normal conditions, 43 percent of Americans report they are sleepy enough that it interferes with their daily activities at least a few days a month, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF). Losing an extra hour of sleep over Saturday night can cause people to be more fatigued.
The switch to DST mimics the effects of jet lag, according to Michael Smolensky, PhD., co-author of The Body Clock Guide to Better Health. “Springing forward is harder on the body than falling back… It takes about three or four days to adjust after the spring DST change, but only about a day to adjust in the fall,” he says. Memory, mood, reaction time, and alertness are affected for people who are sleep deprived.
The potential danger increases when sleepy people have a critical task to perform, like driving or operating a locomotive. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 100,000 auto accidents occur each year because of fall-asleep crashes.
A study by psychologist Stanley Coren, University of British Columbia, found that vehicle accidents jump about 8 percent on the Monday after the spring shift to DST. Coren suggests that a contributing factor may be the driver’s loss of an hour of sleep. He also noted that accidents dropped about eight percent from normal on the Monday after the shift back to standard time in the fall, when most people gained an hour of sleep.
NSF recommends the following to feel as rested as possible with the time change:
— Plan to get at least eight hours of sleep Saturday night or more if you are already feeling tired.
— To adjust your sleep pattern to the time change, go to bed one-half hour earlier than your normal weekday bedtime on Saturday night and sleep at least one-half hour later on Sunday morning.
— If you need more sleep, plan to take a nap in the middle of the afternoon, but not after 4 p.m., as this is too close to bedtime and can disrupt your nighttime sleep.
— Avoid caffeinated beverages and foods in the afternoon and evening.
— Avoid eating a heavy meal or drinking alcohol too close to bedtime.
— On Sunday night, make sure to go to bed early enough to get at least eight hours of sleep.
People who feel sleepy while driving should quickly find a safe place to get off the road and either switch drivers or take a nap, the NSF recommends.
DST is designed to extend daylight hours during waking time in the summer. Benjamin Franklin first suggested it in a humorous essay written in 1784. It has been used on and off in the United States and other countries since World War I to reduce the need for artificial light and to save energy. Currently, Indiana, Arizona and Hawaii are the only states that don’t observe DST statewide.