Short-term vascular responses to spring and fall daylight savings time shifts

Daylight saving time (DST) is a Western biannual time transition, setting the clock back 1 h in the fall and forward 1 h in the spring. There is an epidemiological link between DST and acute myocardial infarction risk in the first week following the spring shift; however, the mechanisms underlying the effect of DST on cardiovascular function remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to explore the short-term cardiovascular changes induced by fall and spring shifts in DST in a convenience sample of healthy adults. We hypothesized that spring, but not fall, DST shifts would acutely increase central pulse wave velocity, the gold standard measurement of central arterial stiffness. Twenty-one individuals (fall: n = 10; spring: n = 11) participated in four visits, occurring 1 wk before and at +1, +3, and +5 days after spring and fall time transitions. Central, brachial, and radial pulse wave velocity as well as carotid augmentation index were assessed with applanation tonometry. Sleep quality and memory function were assessed via questionnaire and the Mnemonic Similarities Task, respectively. Neither fall or spring transition resulted in changes to cardiovascular variables (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, carotid-brachial pulse wave velocity, carotid-radial pulse wave velocity, heart rate, mean arterial pressure, or augmentation index), sleep quality, or cognitive function (all P > 0.05). Our findings do not provide evidence that DST shifts influence cardiovascular outcomes in healthy adults. This study emphasizes the need for further research to determine the mechanisms of increased cardiovascular disease risk with DST that help explain epidemiological trends.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The debate of whether to abolish daylight savings time (DST) is, in part, motivated by the population-level increase in all-cause mortality and incidence of cardiovascular events following DST; however, there is an absence of data to support a physiological basis for risk. We found no changes in pulse wave velocity or augmentation index during the subacute window of DST. Large multisite trials are necessary to address the small, but meaningful, effects brought on by a societal event.