Permanent Daylight Saving Time May Sound Good — Until You Learn What It Could Do To Your Health
This week, the House of Representatives voted in favor of eliminating the practice of changing the clocks twice a year, instead opting for permanent daylight saving time. The bill, called the Sunshine Protection Act, now moves to the Senate, although it's not clear when the Senate will vote on it. If approved, it then goes to President Donald Trump, who supports the legislation.
But most medical professionals don't.
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Sleep doctors agree that eliminating the changing of the clocks is a good thing, but most doctors and scientists say that permanent daylight saving time isn't the ideal option.
"I think we all agree that switching the clock twice a year is a terrible idea. It just doesn't feel like it's the natural thing to do," said Dr. Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse , an associate professor of neurology at the University of Pittsburgh. "But I think the science is really clear if we have to lock in one time, it would be standard time."
For people who live in the United States and switch their clocks back, standard time is the time between November and March (usually referred to as "fall back").
Many professional health organizations agree standard time is the best option, including the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, which states "permanent standard time (ST) aligns best with human circadian biology. Evidence supports the distinct benefits of ST for health and safety, while also underscoring the potential harms that result from seasonal time changes to and from daylight saving time (DST)."
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"Our body doesn't actually run on the clock we set, it runs on the sun," Fong-Isariyawongse explained.
"Every cell actually has its own internal clock, and set mainly by the morning sunlight, so it tells your brain the day has started and that kicks off everything else. The closer we keep the clock to the actual sun, the less friction your body fights every single day. So we do want ... noon to align with the sun on top of our head. That's the most healthy," Fong-Isariyawongse continued.
Dr. Randy Nelson , a professor and Hazel Ruby McQuain Chair for Neurological Research at the West Virginia University School of Medicine, acknowledged there is a "split" between what the general public, business leaders and medical and science experts think is best.
"Sleep medicine organizations ... generally recommend permanent standard time, arguing it better aligns with human biology and sleep health," Nelson explained. Yet "many members of the public and business groups prefer permanent daylight saving time because of the extra evening daylight."
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"The broadest area of agreement is that ending the twice-yearly clock changes would be beneficial," Nelson continued.
"The main debate is which permanent time — standard time or daylight saving time — would produce the better overall balance of health, safety and convenience," he noted. "Most experts agree that permanent standard time would be best."
This change would not impact states like Arizona and Hawaii, which already adhere to permanent standard time.
There are pros and cons for both permanent daylight saving time and permanent standard time.
As with anything, there are pros and cons to both options. With permanent daylight saving time, there would be later sunsets, meaning more sunlight after school and work, Nelson noted, allowing people more time to exercise and spend time outside.
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Another benefit? "Research has found that having more daylight during the busy evening commute can reduce vehicle crashes and pedestrian fatalities," Nelson said.
But with permanent daylight saving time, winter mornings would be a lot darker, which Nelson said is his biggest concern.
"For example, in Chicago, winter sunrise would be close to 8:20 a.m. In New York City, around 8:15 a.m. In parts of the northern U.S., sunrise could occur after 9:00 a.m.," Nelson said. Most kids are in school by this time, and many workers are at their offices by then.
With permanent standard time, however, winter sunsets would be earlier, which can be rough on those who want to spend time outdoors after school or work.
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Research shows that making either option permanent — whether daylight saving or standard time — has health benefits, but the benefits are greater with permanent standard time, according to Fong-Isariyawongse.
A Stanford University study found that while both options had health benefits, permanent standard time resulted in a lower risk of stroke and obesity than permanent daylight saving time.
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"Both systems, whether permanent standard time or permanent daylight saving time, beat the status quo, but clearly the better system is permanent standard time," Fong-Isariyawongse said.
With permanent daylight saving time, sunrise "will get pushed an hour later, and that's not just one day," said Fong-Isariyawongse — it's all winter long.
"Our body really needs that morning light to know it's time to wake up. To take it away for months, you will get shorter, more disrupted sleep, and a much harder time actually waking up," she said. "It's not good for sleep, and it's also not good for mental health."
When sleep is disrupted, there's more anxiety and depression. "Losing that morning light is really one of the biggest [reasons] why we see more depression in the winter," Fong-Isariyawongse added.
The House passed a bill to make daylight saving time permanent, but sleep doctors say that's a risky choice. Tatiana Meteleva via Getty Images
Permanent daylight saving time can also have health consequences for teens and kids.
"I think this particularly affects adolescents, teens, and this is the part where I feel most strongly about because it's really like two problems stacking on each other," Fong-Isariyawongs said. "Teenagers are biologically wired to fall asleep and wake up later than adults, and that's not laziness — it's purely biology development."
Generally, schools start too early for their biology.
"Teens are already running a sleep deficit ... and that has [a] whole host of complications, not just academic performance, but safety, mental health, so many things," Fong-Isariyawongse explained. "So now pushing sunrise even later on top of that, you're really sending kids to bus stop and crosswalks in the dark for months, and at the exact moment when their bodies are least equipped to be alert."
The U.S. tried making this change before. It failed.
The U.S. tried implementing permanent daylight saving time during the 1973-1974 energy crisis, Nelson said.
"Initially it was popular, but support dropped sharply after people experienced prolonged dark winter mornings, especially concerns about children traveling to school before sunrise," Nelson added. "Congress ended the experiment after less than a year."
"This is a safety issue, and that's the reason why Congress repealed this within a year," Fong-Isariyawongs said. "So, we're basically doing the same thing again, which kind of doesn't make sense."
Certain industries, as well as people in Southern and coastal states, nonetheless support the change to permanent daylight saving time.
If so many scientists and major sleep organizations agree that permanent standard time is best, why did the House vote to make daylight saving time permanent?
Historically, the golf industry and the travel industry have been advocates of permanent daylight saving time, which would allow more sunlight for post-work recreation, along with evening tours and outdoor happenings. It's worth noting that Trump, who supports this change, owns golf courses.
According to The Washington Post , permanent daylight saving time is also largely supported by elected officials in Southern and coastal states.
While sleep doctors and sleep medical societies agree that no longer "springing forward" or "falling back" with clock changes will be good for us, they also seem to agree that the clear winner for our health is permanent standard time ― not permanent daylight time.
"I think eliminating the biannual change of clocks is important ― however, I believe that we should go back to standard time," Nelson emphasized.
