Daylight saving time returns Sunday

Don't forget to advance the time on your clocks one hour before going to bed tonight. The idea behind daylight saving time is to save energy and lightbulb hours by allowing the sun to appear an hour later in the morning when most are asleep anyway.  As warmer weather is in the near future, daylight saving time benefits us by stretching daylight later into the evening.  You'll have more daylight at the end of your workday, but there are some statistics which suggest that the change is not without  serious negative effects.  

According to a letter to the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, the change has health consequences demonstrated by the number of serious heart attacks increasing by as much as 10 percent during the first three workdays after the start of daylight saving time.  The effects of transitions were consistently more pronounced for people under 65 years of age than for those 65 years of age or older.  According to an  article in the Los Angeles Times, traffic accidents spike by as much as 11 percent on the first Monday after the clocks are sprung forward.  On Wall Street, economists say sleep-deprived traders often produce large negative returns on that following Monday, once estimated at $31 billion. 

The most plausible explanation for the findings is the adverse effect of sleep deprivation on cardiovascular health. According to the authors of the journal letter, their data suggests that vulnerable people might benefit from avoiding sudden changes in their biologic rhythms.  Ordinarily, Monday is the day of the week associated with the highest risk of acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), with the mental stress of starting a new workweek.  The further deprivation of sleep can be the cause of the increased activity seen.  Accordingly, doctors suggest taking it easy this weekend and making sure that you're well rested before the change officially occurs at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 14.  

Irrespective, entirely to the dismay of law firm management everywhere, the greatest concern is not that attorneys will lose an hour of sleep this weekend - but a precious billable hour.