Daylight Saving Time Begins Early

Posted by Kathy Quan Mar 7, 2007

How does Daylight Saving Time affect your health status? For some it will take a couple of weeks to adjust to the loss of an hour's sleep as we move our clocks forward one hour at 2 AM, Sunday morning, March 11.

Plan mentally for a short night's sleep and even try a nap Saturday afternoon to help avoid the effects of less sleep. A nap on Sunday can also help you to reorient to the time change.

For others the "added hour" of daylight will help with symptoms associated with light deprivation issues such as SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder.)

Not all countries have a daylight savings program. Here in the U.S. it was decided to extend the period by a few weeks this year. Daylight Saving begins two weeks earlier and will last one week longer. You'll gain that hour back, the first Sunday in November instead of the last Sunday in October now.

If your computer was built before 2005, you will most likely have to adjust the time manually. You can do this in "Control Panel" for Windows based computers. If your time is not correct, some programs and Internet connections may not work correctly. Think about how your body doesn't feel quite right for a few days after the time changes.

There are also some warnings being issued about scams connected to the time changes. This year because the change is early and some computers may not automaticaly change, scammers may attract your attention by telling you there are problems with your bank or credit card accounts. Be wary of such scams!