Swedish Researchers Find Daylight Saving Time May Increase Heart Attack Risks

Stockholm, Sweden (AHN) - Swedish researchers said that an extra hour of sleep may reduce the likelihood of having a heart attack as most countries, including the United States, shift from daylight saving time to normal standard times.

The extra hour of sleep brought about by shifting of the clocks back an hour may prevent the risk of a heart attack, compared with the heart attack risks during the first week of DST's implementation in spring, which were higher.

The research added that women are more prone to heart attacks due to lack of sleep.

Insufficient sleep raises blood pressure and heart rate while chronic stress may lead to abnormalities in heart function.

The New England Journal of Medicine published the research by Swedish doctors Imre Janszky of the Karolinska Institute and Rickard Ljung of the National Board of Health and Welfare on the relation of sleep and heart attacks.

Over 1.5 billion people around the world live in countries that use daylight saving time.