Dr. Benjamin Satterfield, a leading researcher at Mayo Clinic, has recently conducted research that suggests daylight savings time (DST) is unlikely to have an effect on personal health. The study utilized a statistical model to delve deeper into this matter.
"We looked at five years across the U.S., and what we found is that it's unlikely that there is a clinically meaningful difference in cardiovascular health due to daylight saving time," said Satterfield, M.D., Ph.D, according to Mayo Clinic News Network. "These cardiovascular events are common health conditions, so this led to the question of whether this is more than would be expected if this had not followed the daylight saving time transition."
According to Mayo Clinic, the researchers involved in the experiment studied approximately 35 million adults of all ages to identify any potential links between DST and cardiovascular issues. The project was based on data from the week immediately following DST. They discovered around 74,000 cardiovascular events - including heart attacks, strokes, cardiac arrests among others - occurred during the transition of DST, particularly when those affected were hospitalized.
The team at Mayo Clinic found that the Monday-Friday period after DST showed a minimal increase in cardiovascular issues. However, Satterfield and his team did not deem this increase as clinically significant. It has been noted that DST was initiated to align natural sunlight with everyday activities and no changes to DST would be necessary due to adverse cardiovascular conditions. Further studies are being conducted on DST's potential impact on mental health conditions and motor vehicle accidents.
Mayo Clinic is recognized as the largest non-profit medical group practice worldwide. Committed to providing access to healthcare for all, they strive to extend their services even to those at home. According to Mayo Clinic, their experts are working tirelessly to address some of the most complex patient needs, a mission dating back to their founders Will and Charlie Mayo. The Mayos successfully established an integrated approach in medicine; a standard that Mayo Clinic continues to uphold today.
