With clocks finally set to "spring forward" this weekend as daylight saving time begins, the 23-hour day on Sunday could impact sleeping patterns for Americans living in states who observe the time change.
While national legislators showed unanimous support for the Sunshine Protection Act that would make daylight saying time permanent in the previous Congress, the bill has yet to be re-introduced after failing to advance out of a committee vote in the House of Representatives.
Fla. Senator Marco Rubio re-introduced the bill last week in the current Congress, with the bill once again receiving bipartisan support.
Although a move toward permanent daylight saving time has garnered support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, sleep experts have sounded the alarm on such a change, instead recommending a change to permanent standard time.
Experts have pointed to disruptions in the body's circadian rhythm that can be attributed to the biannual time change, while arguing that standard time is better aligned with the body's biological clock.
"Everybody has preferences, but the reality is that the biggest problem is not so much where are we settled, but the real issue is that we have to keep changing over and over again. And the data supports the fact that in the week afterwards, we're inducing jetlag for the entire country for several days," data scientist Dr. Sheldon Jacobson of the University of Illinois told NBC 5.
Another sleep expert emphasized that a change to permanent daylight saving time would give more darkness during the morning hours, disrupting the body's natural cue to wake up while potentially increasing the risk for traffic collisions.
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"Light is the most powerful timing cue for the human body clock,” Erin Flynn-Evans, who has a doctorate in health and medical science and is director of the NASA Ames Research Center Fatigue Countermeasures Laboratory, said in a statement. “Shifting to permanent daylight saving time in the winter would result in more darkness in the morning and more light in the evening, leading to misalignment between the body’s daily rhythm and the timing of routine social obligations, like work or school. That has the potential to make it harder for most people to fall asleep at night, disrupting sleep quality and leading to sleep loss, which can negatively impact health and safety.”
Although the Sunshine Protection Act remains on the table, the time changes will proceed as normal in 2023, with daylight saving time taking effect from March to early November, when clocks will "fall back" to standard time.
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With the time change coming this weekend, experts have offered some tips on how to best mitigate what could be a significant disruption to sleeping habits in the week following the start of daylight saving time.
A common piece of advice is to start adjusting as early as possible by going to bed 30-to-60 minutes earlier than normal, which may help the change not feel as abrupt.
Cutting out the blue light before bedtime may also aid in getting a good night's sleep in the aftermath of the time change, with Dr. Kenneth Lee of the University of Chicago Sleep Center recommending the "blue light filter" option available on many cell phones and tablets.
Sleep experts also argue that permanent daylight saving time would "disproportionately" affect people living in the northern part of the U.S.
"Some parts of Montana, North Dakota and Michigan would not see sunrise until after 9:30 a.m. during the winter months," the AASM said, if the country adopted permanent daylight saving time.
"More populous cities would be impacted by darker mornings as well – with permanent daylight saving time, sunrise wouldn’t occur until 8:20 a.m. in New York City in January. In Los Angeles, sunrise in January would be at almost 8 a.m., and in Minneapolis, sunrise would be at nearly 9 a.m."
Sleep experts at the organization go on to say that seasonal time changes overall are unfavorable to health. According to the AASM, the changes have been linked to an increase in stroke, hospital admissions and cardiovascular events.
"One study found a reduction in the rate of cardiovascular events during standard time in particular, suggesting that the chronic effects of daylight saving time may lead to a higher risk of adverse health problems when compared with standard time," it says.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Transportation listed the following benefits to daylight saving time on their website:
- It saves energy. During Daylight Saving Time, the sun sets one hour later in the evenings, so the need to use electricity for household lighting and appliances is reduced. People tend to spend more time outside in the evenings during Daylight Saving Time, which reduces the need to use electricity in the home. Also, because the sunrise is very early in the morning during the summer months, most people will awake after the sun has already risen, which means they turn on fewer lights in their homes.
- It saves lives and prevents traffic injuries. During Daylight Saving Time, more people travel to and from school and work and complete errands during the daylight.
- It reduces crime. During Daylight Saving Time, more people are out conducting their affairs during the daylight rather than at night, when more crime occurs.
Daylight saving time will officially begin on March 12 at 2 a.m., when the clocks will "spring forward" to 3 a.m.
