WVU in the News: End of daylight savings time impacts sleep

“We should get rid of (daylight saving time),” said Dr. Randy Nelson, chair of the Department of Neuroscience at West Virginia University (WVU) and one of the world’s foremost authorities on circadian biology.

A September Stanford University report echoes his assertion that the biannual time shift is bad for health because of its disruption to circadian rhythms – a roughly 24-hour cycle that determines when we become sleepy and when we’re more alert. That circadian clock affects more than sleep. It also impacts heart rate, blood pressure, stress hormones and metabolism.