In a report today from Reuters, researchers in Sweden have shown that heart attack risk is tied to to changes in daylight saving time. As you probably imagine, risk goes up when we jump ahead in spring, and goes down when we fall back in the fall, which happens to occur this Saturday night. So relax, it’s all good…

Here is what Reuters had to say,

The research, based on heart attacks in Sweden, concluded that the chance of a heart attack goes up during the first three weekdays after the springtime shift to daylight saving time, possibly because of sleep deprivation.

But on the autumn Monday after clocks go back and people can get an extra hour of shuteye, the heart attack risk declines.

If so, then we all can rest a little easier this weekend. But don’t get too comfy,

The protective effect in the fall may last for just one day because, “Monday is the day when most of us will use this extra hour,” Janszky said by e-mail.

During the shift to daylight saving time, women seemed more vulnerable to heart attacks than men. Men were more likely to be protected during the Monday in the autumn, the researchers said.

They also found that the effect was more pronounced in people under age 65.

Janszky said younger people may be affected more because they tend to be working and their schedules are not as flexible.

“Retired people are more independent from the official time,” the researcher said.

More than 1.5 billion people worldwide live in countries that use daylight saving time.

Happy sleeping!

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