But Is It Good For Your Heart?

I have heard that the one-hour shift in time can cause migraines, insomnia, forgetfulness, even loss of appetite!  But a new study I recently read, claims that turning the clock forward one hour can cause heart attacks.  This is no joke.  The health study comes from Sweden (I love the Swedes, they are so darned healthy!) - specifically the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, where they analyzed twenty years of data and came to the astonishing finding that the number of heart attacks in the general population jumps 6-10% in the three days following the one-hour-ahead turning of the clock.  Interestingly, at the other end of Daylight Saving, in November when the clock is turned back an hour, heart attacks decrease by 5%.  What could be the cause?
Here is a clue: the study found that the phenomenon did not affect people over 65 years of age. 

What my opinion?  I think it has to do with forgetting to turn your clock ahead the night before, and then waking up to discover you are an hour late for work.  Imagine the panic, especially if you are due for a promotion or a raise that day.  All the stress, worry, fretting and rushing to make up that one hour.  No wonder people have heart attacks!  Of course, in November we get an extra hour while we are sleeping, so we wake up and find we can take our time getting somewhere important.

Why was the age-65 factor a clue?  Most folks that age are retired and don't worry about the clock.  I'm not retired but I don't worry about the clock.  I just leave it as it is, that way my clock is correct for half the year.

(And by the way, although it is commonly referred to as Daylight Savings Time, there is officially no "s" at the end of saving.)

Image Source: skinnymoose.com