Origins Of Daylight Saving Time (Mandatory Sleep Deprivation)

by Darline Turner Lee, Physician Assistant, ACSM Exercise Specialist

Article Last Reviewed: Sept. 9, 2006

On April fourth at two o’clock in the morning we must turn our clocks ahead by one hour and “spring ahead”. As if I weren’t already sleep deprived I am going to lose yet another hour of sleep. Whose bright idea was daylight saving time and turning the clocks ahead by an hour?

William Willett of Great Britain first proposed daylight saving in his article Waste of Daylight in 1907. He believed his countrymen could enjoy more of the summertime daylight if clocks were moved ahead a total of eighty minutes in April. Moving time ahead during the night would result in no loss of productive time during the day. The British government did not accept his proposal.

The German government first put daylight saving time (DST) into effect during World War I to conserve resources and allow for more time to work on the war effort. The United Kingdom and the United States followed suit but lifted DST when the war ended. The United States reinstated DST for World War II and repealed it again in1945. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 was established to promote uniformity across time zones and was amended in 1986 to establish DST from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October.

DST is not to blame for my lack of sleep. I’m writing this article at midnight, free from telephone calls, free from family needs--just plain free! I can think, concentrate and write uninhibited. It’s quiet.

Quiet is something that I really miss. I married a snorer. We’ve tried the various sprays and strips but nothing has worked. When it’s just too much, I head for the spare bed but by then it’s the middle of the night and my sleep cycles have been disrupted.

Christine Albanese is the director of operations for Sleep Ave., a diagnostic sleep center in Austin. Brande Brown is the technical director. They educated me on the dangers of sleep deprivation and what my husband’s sleep patterns are doing to his and my own biorhythms.

Albanese explained, “When someone snores, it can be a precursor to sleep apnea, periods when you actually stop breathing during sleep. Some symptoms of sleep apnea are fatigue, daytime sleepiness, depression and awakening with a headache. Sleep apnea can be associated with health problems such as hypertension, heart attack and stroke.

Diagnosis of a sleep disorders is made from sleep studies conducted at the center. The sleep center is a four-bed facility that monitors individuals while they sleep. Technicians watch them on video cameras while monitoring brain waves, oxygen saturation, heart rate, respirations and body movements. Following the diagnostic study, the referring physician determines the treatment.

“Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is room air that is gently blown into the airway keeping the air passage open,” explains Brown. Different mouthpieces and face masks can be used which will move the lower jaw forward, displace the tongue and open the airway. “When the airway is open air moves freely across the tissues and snoring ceases.” Although individuals are often reluctant to use CPAP machines, they are amazed at how well they sleep and how rested they feel. Those really reluctant to use CPAP devices can try to lose weight first to see if that solves the problem.

“Patients are so accustomed to poor sleep they’ve forgotten what it feels like to be well rested,” Albanese and Brown state.

It was astounding to learn that about ten percent of the patients are children. “Children will come in for a study if they are being considered for tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. It’s not normal for children to snore,” states Albanese. “Once tonsils and adenoids are removed, the snoring usually subsides.”

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), sleep is needed for our neurological systems to function properly. When we are sleep deprived, we experience impaired physical performance and mathematical ability as well as memory loss.

During deep sleep growth hormone is released in children and young adults. Protein levels increase and protein breakdown decreases allowing for a lot of bodily repair while we sleep. Sleep gives our minds a rest from thoughts and emotions and studies show that getting enough sleep may actually help us to make better decisions and to have more favorable social interactions.

The National Sleep Foundation reports the average adult needs between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. When we continuously get less than the recommended amount of sleep we become sleep deprived and develop a sleep debt. Sleep deprivation causes individuals to function at levels similar to one who is legally intoxicated. Alcohol intensifies the effects of sleep deprivation. The National Traffic and Safety Administration estimates that one hundred thousand auto accidents and fifteen hundred deaths each year are related to drowsy drivers.

Although it is an accepted “norm”, sleep deprivation has serious consequences for individuals, couples and our society. So on that note, good night.

Sleep Ave.
800 W. 34th Street
Suite 100
Austin, TX 78705
(512) 485-7150
www.sleepave.com