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The end of daylight saving time can impact our health

Often not as impactful as the spring time change, ending daylight saving time in the fall can increase seasonal depression, moodiness and tiredness.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — On Sunday, Nov. 3, don't forget to set clocks back one hour, as daylight saving time comes to a close. 

While not as aggressive as the spring, "falling back" can have health consequences to be mindful of. 

"Any sort of abrupt change to our sleep schedule can result in disrupted and less quality of sleep, which can potentially carry some negative health consequences," said Aubrey Kuehnel, sleep medicine physician at the University of Michigan Health-West. 

Those health effects include difficulty waking in the morning, moodiness and daytime tiredness. Being tired can also potentially increase risk of heart attacks and car accidents. 

The fall time change coincides with a decrease in daylight hours in the cooler months. Both can contribute to seasonal affective disorder (SAD). 

"When we have this transition where we're falling back an hour, we lose out on some of that good sunlight in the daytime hours, so it can worsen seasonal defective disorder," said Kuehnel. "Sometimes, to help with that, people will expose themselves to more daylight and sunlight when they can."

She also suggested using box light therapy, but reminding people to be careful not to use it too late in the evening. This can affect the body's circadian rhythm. 

Making small adjustments in sleep schedules leading up to a time change can also help ease the transition. Maintaining a good sleep schedule consistently can make a large difference in health overall, as can exercise. 

"Besides the fact that it is healthy for you in multiple medical challenges, it can help with improving obesity levels and heart functioning," said Kuehnel. "It has been shown that a good exercise in the daytime can give us a better quality sleep at night."

She also said it will likely take a couple of days, or even weeks, to feel adjusted after a time change. 

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