3 ms·

I enjoy reading about perspectives on DST, this one included, but I'm not a big fan of the fearmongering. The article makes DST changes seem quite frightening

I enjoy reading about perspectives on DST, this one included, but I'm not a big fan of the fearmongering. The article makes DST changes seem quite frightening by stating: > After time switches, particularly the “spring forward,” there are increased rates of car accidents, heart attacks, strokes and workplace injuries. This links to an article titled “Daylight-saving time is literally killing us”, which then links to the paper in question. The paper, however, makes a much milder statement: > Prior research has shown a transient increase in the incidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) after daylight savings time (DST) in the spring as well as a decrease in AMI after returning to standard time in the fall. > These findings have not been verified in a broader population And most importantly: > In the week following the seasonal time change, DST impacts the timing of presentations for AMI but does not influence the overall incidence of this disease. It seems like the results get more dramatised with every publication in the chain. Do we have to exaggerate studies to the point of fearmongering just to support our points?

throw0101a 7y ago
> Do we have to exaggerate studies to the point of fearmongering just to support our points? They're not fear-mongering, they're citing peer-reviewed research: * https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2019.00944/full https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2019.0094... All three co-authors are experts in their fields: > They are writing on behalf of the Canadian Society for Chronobiology. * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronobiology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronobiology
- tasty_freeze 7y ago
  No, they are fearmongering. Yes, the rate of heart attacks rises for a few days after the change ... but the overall rate if you look at a week or two is no different. That is, the change might stress people into death who would have otherwise died a few days later anyway. Reporting that it leads to an increased death count is simply false: it is a small rise followed by an equal volume small dip, with no net difference if you look at a larger window.
  - throw0101a 7y ago
    > Reporting that it leads to an increased death count is simply false: it is a small rise followed ... Which is exactly what the authors of the article said. As quoted by the original commenter: > Prior research has shown a transient increase ...
  - ScottBurson 7y ago
    > the overall rate if you look at a week or two [later] is no different I don't see any statement to that effect in the linked paper. Quite the contrary: they interpret the evidence as suggesting that the increase in "social jet lag" has deleterious effects during the entire duration of DST. Can you produce a quotation supporting your interpretation?

throw0101a 7y ago

> Do we have to exaggerate studies to the point of fearmongering just to support our points? They're not fear-mongering, they're citing peer-reviewed research: * https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2019.00944/full https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2019.0094... All three co-authors are experts in their fields: > They are writing on behalf of the Canadian Society for Chronobiology. * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronobiology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronobiology

tasty_freeze 7y ago
No, they are fearmongering. Yes, the rate of heart attacks rises for a few days after the change ... but the overall rate if you look at a week or two is no different. That is, the change might stress people into death who would have otherwise died a few days later anyway. Reporting that it leads to an increased death count is simply false: it is a small rise followed by an equal volume small dip, with no net difference if you look at a larger window.
- throw0101a 7y ago
  > Reporting that it leads to an increased death count is simply false: it is a small rise followed ... Which is exactly what the authors of the article said. As quoted by the original commenter: > Prior research has shown a transient increase ...
- ScottBurson 7y ago
  > the overall rate if you look at a week or two [later] is no different I don't see any statement to that effect in the linked paper. Quite the contrary: they interpret the evidence as suggesting that the increase in "social jet lag" has deleterious effects during the entire duration of DST. Can you produce a quotation supporting your interpretation?