The morning after Daylight Saving Time begins is usually an unpleasant one. Complaints of grogginess and “losing an hour” of sleep are commonly discussed in the office and among friends, sparking an annual debate about why we even follow this time change. Although the United States has been observing this time switch for over 100 years, sleep experts are calling for an end to this practice. The reason? It’s bad for our health.
A Fresh Look At Daylight Saving Time
As children, most of us learned some version of why Daylight Saving Time (DST) started. Vague notions of longer summer hours for the benefit of farmers–however outdated–satisfied our young minds and meant more time to play in the evening. When adult workloads and responsibilities became ours, shifting an hour forward or back seemed like an unnecessary burden on our already sleep-deprived bodies. After much research, a team of doctors and sleep experts agree: evidence shows that this transition poses serious health risks.
Wherever the idea that DST began at the request of farmers developed, it’s not accurate. The time switch began on March 31, 1918, as a wartime measure. Instead of helping farmers, it hurt them; the sun was what dictated their day, not the clock. The extra hour forward or back didn’t help. Instead, it meant that time tables for milking, hay harvesting, and day laborers didn’t align with their original rhythms. Throughout the years since, the actual reasons for Daylight Saving Time became muddled by economic and business reasons. Whatever benefits DST was supposed to bring, anecdotal evidence shows that it has only brought an interruption to America’s sleep cycles. (1)
Sleep experts at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, however, have gathered more than just anecdotal evidence. An official position statement, published on August 26, 2020, called for an end to this practice. Scientific evidence, they say, shows that Americans’ health is significantly impacted by the time switch. Because of this, the experts’ call is that seasonal time changes should be abolished. (2)
Why The Seasonal Time Switch Is Bad For Our Health
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) focuses on sleep care and health to improve lives. According to their study, the time switch causes a disruption in the natural circadian rhythm of the human body. The circadian rhythm is a roughly 24-hour cycle that dictates the function of the body–especially the sleep-wake cycle. This cycle is largely influenced by light. (2, 3)
Exposure to morning light and evening darkness give signals to our body that regulate our overall health. Shifting from standard time to DST, however, interrupts those cycles. Evidence shows that DST can lead to a risk of heart problems, mood disorders, and other health problems. Even traffic accidents increase in the first few days after the switch, with fatal crashes increasing up to 6%. And when the circadian rhythm is misaligned, a number of unhealthy cellular reactions take place. These can result in a higher heart rate and blood pressure, as well as decreased sleep.
Because DST results in more darkness in the morning and more light in the evening, the entire body has difficulty shifting its rhythms. This can even lead to “social jetlag,” where the demands of our daily schedule conflict with our own circadian rhythm. Studies show that this correlates to an increase in depression and obesity, among other problems. Because of all these reasons, the AASM is called on the U.S. government to end these seasonal time changes. While there may be debate into what clock to follow–standard time or DST–the overall health benefits would be well worth the change. (2)
