Setting Clocks Back Gives Your Heart a Boost

When you set your clock back an hour tomorrow morning (Sunday, Nov. 2), you'll be giving your heart an unexpected little boost. In going over 20 years of records, Swedish researchers found that the number of heart attacks actually dips a bit -=- about 5% -- on the Monday after clocks are set back an hour. That extra hour of sleep seems to be good for our hearts.

Unfortunately, come spring, losing an hour of sleep when we turn clocks forward has the opposite effect. The same study found an overall 5% increase in the number of heart attacks during the first week of daylight-saving time. The early part of the week when people struggle most to adjust to the change in biorhythms was the most stressful with heart attacks rates increasing by 6% on Monday and Wednesday and 10% on Tuesday.

"Sleep -- through a variety of mechanisms -- affects our cardiovascular health," said Dr. Lori Mosca, director of preventive cardiology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. "Sleep not only impacts how we feel, but it may also affect whether we develop heart disease or not."

So pamper your heart tomorrow and enjoy that extra hour of sleep. You'll need it come spring!