15 Sep Daylight Saving Time Affects High School Students’ Sleep

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Ana C. Krieger, MD, MPH, FCCP, FAASM
Medical Director, Center for Sleep Medicine
Associate Clinical Professor
Departments of Medicine, Neurology and Genetic Medicine
Weill Cornell Medical College – Cornell University
Associate Attending
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
Rockefeller University Hospital
 

Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Dr. Krieger: For many years, sleep researchers have been concerned about sleep deprivation in adolescents. Our study shows that high school students have shorter sleep duration on the nights following the spring Daylight Saving Time adjustment. This sleep loss was associated with a decline in daytime vigilance and cognitive performance on the week following DST.

Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Dr. Krieger: This study unveils a potentially new factor that further restricts adolescents’ sleep duration in the early Spring. It is important to remember that our data was derived from a limited geographic area in Westchester, NY which restricts the generalization of the findings. Nonetheless, a more careful analysis of their schedule on the week following Daylight Saving Time may be necessary to limit tasks that require sustained vigilance, including driving.

Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Dr. Krieger: Two major limitations of our study include the small sample size and the fact that students were only followed for 1 week after  Daylight Saving Time implementation in March.  Taking this in consideration, a larger study would be desirable to better quantify the magnitude and duration of the changes seen in sleep and performance.

Citation:

Diana Medina, Matthew Ebben, Sara Milrad, Brianna Atkinson, Ana C. Krieger. Adverse Effects of Daylight Saving Time on Adolescents’ Sleep and Vigilance. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2015; DOI:10.5664/jcsm.4938

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Ana C. Krieger, MD, MPH, FCCP, FAASM (2015). Daylight Saving Time Affects High School Students’ Sleep 

Last Updated on September 15, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD