“A month falls out of life after rewinding. April and November don’t exist for me,” complained a passer-by she met on the street to a TV journalist from Lietuvos ryto.
Doctor neurologist Rūta Mameniškienė says that turning time is a bad practice. The risk of heart attack and stroke increases, health is affected in other ways. According to the doctor, it takes at least a week to return to the biological rhythm.
“It’s hard to think, it’s hard to concentrate, you make more mistakes, your character changes a bit to a stricter, angrier side,” the doctor said about the effects of time warping. – It is especially difficult for schoolchildren and kindergarteners. If they are used to going to bed and getting up at the same time, then the hour is very important to them.”
Animals don’t care about human rules
Residents who raise animals say that the animals do not notice that the clock is turned back at home. They get up at regular times, so people have to adjust.
“You see, I don’t have a watch, I don’t have a Rolex on my wrist. In the mornings, I wake up to the crowing of the rooster,” said Virginijus Šležas, the elder of the village of Paistaris in the Panevėžys district.
“Let’s say the rooster crows at 4 a.m., it doesn’t matter if the hour is turned around, he will still crow at the same time,” explained Teresė Jačionytė, a resident of the village of Paiņstria.
“The body reacts poorly, after a week or so, and in the second week, something is really wrong. It’s not the right reaction, it’s not the right attention, and it’s hard to concentrate, it’s tiring mood swings,” V. Šležas complained about his state of mind after the time warp.
Accidents are increasing
The representative of Lietuvos draudimas company says that in the first week after the introduction of daylight saving time, traffic accidents increase, especially wild animals.
“The number of incidents is increasing. Last year, over 4 million euros in damages were paid out in our company, and about one and a half thousand were recorded for the events themselves,” said Saulius Abraškevičius, head of communications at the insurance company.
The neurologist says that the body needs to be easily accustomed to a new daily rhythm. It would be ideal to start preparing for the rotation in advance – two weeks before.
“Let’s get up earlier than usual and better take that sweet ‘afternoon’ nap.” If we wake up earlier – go outside to get more light, this way the body will adapt to the change of time faster”, advised R.Mameniškienė.
Daylight saving time was first introduced in Lithuania in 1981.
