As Americans once again get ready to spend their first few hours of work on Monday groggy, many are asking the question: Does daylight saving time hurt our health?
With the biannual time switch going into effect once again on Sunday, Americans and their politicians are continuing to discuss whether or not to do away with turning back or springing ahead. However, some health experts are warning that deciding what time to stick with, standard or daylight saving time, may have an impact on our health.
According to Carla Finkielstein, a professor with Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and scientific director of the institute’s Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, losing an hour of sleep does more than just wreck your sleep schedule for a few weeks.
“Research shows that daylight saving time messes with our biological clocks by reducing morning sunlight exposure, which pushes our sleep schedules later and can have negative effects on health,” Finkielstein explained in an article earlier this month.
When it comes to what time we should be following, Finkielstein shared that standard time could be better for us overall.
“Staying on standard time year-round is much better for our circadian rhythms, overall health, and well-being,” she said.
Other health experts have also expressed similar concerns about the effect that daylight saving time has on our bodies.
Dr. Karin Johnson, spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and co-chair of the Coalition for Permanent Standard Time, shared with Nexstar that the time we use can not only impact children but also adults, as sleep can be a factor in criminal activity.
“We know that a lot of the drivers for people becoming criminals increase in the sleep-deprived population,” Johnson said.
Studies published over the last three decades that have shown the one-hour change is a disruption to the body’s rhythms, which many say are in tune with the Earth’s rotation.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has also called for a ban on Daylight Saving time, as evidence shows that it can be detrimental.
“Current evidence best supports the adoption of year-round standard time, which aligns best with human circadian biology and provides distinct benefits for public health and safety,” the ban says.
Legislation only allows for states to observe standard time, the time observed from November to March. Hawaii and most of Arizona are the only states to take advantage of this and lock their clocks. However, there is no option to observe daylight saving time throughout the calendar year.
Audacy previously reported that several states are looking to lock their clocks, but not all want to be on the same time.
States looking to make standard time permanent include Arkansas, California, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and West Virginia.
Meanwhile, bills in Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania have been introduced to make daylight saving time a year-round practice.
States with competing legislation for both year-round standard time and daylight saving time include Alaska, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia.
President Donald Trump was asked before the time switch if he would step in to stop the clocks, but he said the issue was too evenly divided for him to make a decision.