STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Oct 30, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A Swedish study suggests
changing the clocks back before going to bed Saturday night may lower the risk
of heart attack in some people.
The report, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, said heart attacks
in Sweden increase 6 percent the day after clocks are moved forward to daylight
saving time. Changing clocks back an hour in the fall resulted in 5 percent
fewer heart attacks the following day, The Wall Street Journal reported
Thursday.
Waking up earlier appears to have an adverse cardiovascular effect in some
people, the researchers said.
"It has been postulated that people in Western societies are chronically sleep
deprived, since the average sleep duration decreased from 9.0 (hours) to 7.5
hours during the 20th century," Drs. Imre Janszky and Rickard Ljung said. "Our
data suggest that vulnerable people might benefit from avoiding sudden changes
in their biologic rhythms."
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