-Source-Newsmax-
Daylight saving time brings extra daylight and seems harmless, but researchers say it hides a hidden danger: Daylight saving time brings a higher chance of having a stroke or heart attack.
On Nov. 4, daylight saving time ends and clocks get turned back one hour. And while there has been some debate over the necessity of the practice, the health consequences have been overlooked.
The risk of having a stroke goes up 8 percent during the first two days after the beginning of daylight saving time, according to one Finnish study.
In Sweden, researchers found an average 6.7 percent greater risk of heart attack in the three days after we set clocks forward an hour in the spring. Inspired by that finding, a group of U.S. researchers conducted their own study and determined that heart attack risk jumped 24 percent the Monday after switching over to daylight saving time. That risk then tapered off over the remainder of the week.
By contrast, risk for heart attack dropped 21 percent on the Tuesday after the fall time change.
Daylight saving time was created as a way to save fuel during World War I. The United States formally adopted the practice in 1918, hopeful it would encourage consumers to take advantage of the extra sunlight to go shopping or just be outdoors more. Read more