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Could “springing forward” have negative effects on your health?

Posted at 12:50 PM, Mar 12, 2012
and last updated 2012-03-12 13:19:22-04

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) – Many of us turned our clocks forward early Sunday for Daylight Saving Time. Now comes word that “springing forward” may be bad for our health.

A professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham says the Monday and Tuesday after changing the clocks can be dangerous because the two days are associated with a 10 percent increase in heart attacks.

The professor says it’s unclear why this occurs, but some experts believe the spike in heart attacks has to do with sleep deprivation.

The risk decreases 10 percent in the fall, after we return to standard time.