‘Concerning’ effect of daylight saving for millions of Aussies

Experts are warning that daylight saving time can come with some very serious impacts on health, appetite, alertness and even our pets.

Video transcript

Experts are warning that daylight saving time can come with some very serious impacts on health, appetite, alertness and even our pets, Doctor Yu Sun bin told Yahoo News Australia.

For many Aussies, switching the clocks forward can feel like a case of bad jet lag, adding We know it reduces sleep time by about approximately 40 minutes.

Overall, with people feeling more tired, that's where we see concerning effects, increased risk of heart attacks and strokes and possible car accidents, doctor Emiliano Tonini added.

Humans were designed to sleep at night when it's dark and to be active and alert when the sun is out.

With daylight saving clocks move forward, giving us longer evening light but darker mornings.

That shift disrupts Acadian rhythms and can lead to misalignment of our body clock with natural light dark cycles, for example, more light in the evening can delay sleep, and morning darkness can affect exercise and alert, Cennini stated.

Circadian disruption is associated with a lot of different health problems such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic presentations and mental health conditions.

Companion animals can also be impacted by daylight saving, with dogs in particular sensitive to routine changes.

While most cope with the changes just fine.

Adjustments to the schedule we impose on them, such as feeding, exercise and bedtime, may make some animals anxious.