4 unusual ways daylight saving time ending can harm your health and how to minimize the damage

The clock is falling back — and your health might, too.The end of daylight saving time (DST) on Nov.1 gives us an extra hour to snooze, a welcome perk, considering quality shuteye is essential to good health.But experts warn the time change can actually take a devastating toll on certain groups of people.For most healthy people, gaining an additional hour of sleep isn’t a huge deal.

A healthy body will naturally reset within a few days to a week by soaking in morning sunlight and sticking to one’s usual social routines.However, shifting the clock can be much harder for others, including people with dementia.According to Dr.

Courtney Stefanski, DST changes can disrupt already-vulnerable biological clocks, leading to broken sleep, restless nights and extra confusion.To ease this transition, Stefanski suggests getting into the morning light, using bright indoor lighting in the late afternoon and sticking to evening routines.“If confusion or agitation increases, reduce background noise, offer reassurance and check for potential triggers such as pain, dehydration or hunger,” she advised, though any sudden or significant changes in confusion should be examined by a healthcare professional.Sleep is particularly crucial for a healthy heart because your blood pressure naturally drops and rests while you sleep.That means that even a minor disruption to your sleep schedule can alter your heart rate and blood pressure if you already struggle with cardiovascular issues.When the clock changes, Stefanski suggests cutting back on caffeine late in the day, keeping up with regular blood pressure checks and sticking to one’s medication schedule as normal.She added that any confusion regarding medication timing after the time change should be cleared up by a healthcare provider, not resolved through self-adjustment.Your body’s internal clock also dictates how you process sugar and react to insulin, which can make DST changes especially tricky if you’re living with di...