This weekend millions of Americans performed a ritual that feels oddly modern and strangely primitive: we change the clocks.

At 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning, the nation “sprang forward,” losing an hour of sleep in the name of daylight saving time. The practice feels harmless, even quaint. But modern circadian science is increasingly clear: this simple act of moving the clock may be quietly harming our health.

And if we listen carefully, Jewish tradition may have been warning us about this kind of disruption for centuries.

The Body Has Its Own Clock

Human beings do not run on mechanical time.

We run on biological time.

Deep within the brain sits the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a cluster of neurons that functions as the body’s master clock. This circadian system regulates sleep, hormones, metabolism, mood, and cardiovascular function, all synchronized primarily by the rising and setting of the sun.

When we abruptly shift the clock by an hour, the body cannot instantly follow. The result is circadian misalignment, a biological state similar to mild jet lag.

And the consequences are not trivial.

Research has repeatedly shown measurable health effects in the days following the spring transition to daylight saving time. Studies have documented increases in heart attacks, strokes, hospital visits, and fatal traffic accidents in the days immediately after the clock change.

One large analysis found heart attacks rise significantly on the Monday after the spring shift, while........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)