(NEXSTAR) – We are just a few weeks away from the end of Daylight Saving Time, the final half of a twice-yearly practice that the U.S. has observed for decades.
The country had one Back and forth relationship with the seasonal change of clocks, with recent surveys showing that a consistent Wish among Americans to abolish this practice entirely.
Whether the US should have lasting daylight saving time or lasting standard time depends on who you ask.
A May 2024 YouGov poll found that 58% of Democrats and 63% of Republicans support making daylight saving time lasting. Of those who supported locking the clocks in one 2022 Monmouth University Survey44% preferred lasting daylight saving time (the time we observe from March to November).
More than one dozen states Have passed laws or resolutions to change to lasting daylight saving time (which would be the case). require congressional action). This is consistent with three laws introduced at the federal levelall of which call for lasting daylight saving time have stalled.
It’s that Handful of states which have been considered lasting standard time (the time we observe from November to March), health experts agree.
Dr. Karin Johnson, spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and co-chair of the Coalition for Permanent Standard Timeis one of these experts.
In addition to raising awareness of the benefits of lasting standard time (more on that in a moment), the coalition hopes to encourage states to pass bills. Johnson said the issue is often that state-level bills come in compact form, essentially allowing a state to have standard time year-round if one or more of its neighboring states do the same. The general hope is that as more states require year-round standard time, federal legislation will follow the same path.
Why do Johnson, the coalition she co-chairs, and other health experts want to set the clock to standard time?
Permanent standard time is “undeniably” the best option for our health “if you believe in the science,” says Dr. Alaina Tiani, a clinical health psychologist who specializes in behavioral sleep medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorder Center.
A large advantage of year-round standard time is the amount of daylight we have in the morning, she explained.
“Higher exposure at these earlier times is essentially better for our body’s rhythm than, you know, the opposite with daylight saving time and evening exposure,” Tiani told Nexstar.
When we “fall back” in November, sunrises move forward by an hour. For some parts of the country, this means sunrise will shift from the 7 a.m. hour to the 6 a.m. hour. If the US observed daylight saving time all year round, The sunrises would be much laterin some areas just before 9 a.m.
Getting enough exposure to sunlight in the morning is significant for our melatonin system, Tiani explained. You can take a melatonin supplement to support you sleep better at night, but this system is more about darkness than sleep.
“It’s a hormone that our body produces to start the processes for sleep when it senses it’s dark outside, but in the morning and when exposed to sunlight, light actually suppresses melatonin,” Tiani said. Permanent standard time would allow us more of the significant morning hours of daylight.
It might also be better for our circadian rhythm, aka ours internal clockswhich Tiani says can contribute to other health factors such as blood pressure, heart rate and cortisol levels.
Among those who could benefit most from these early hours of sunshine are children, Johnson noted. She highlighted a study A study was conducted in Indiana that found that children who live on the side that has constant standard time do much better on their SATs than children who live in the part of the state where the clocks change twice be changed over the year.
There may be a downside to the earlier sunrises: in the summer, the sun rises at 3 or 4 a.m., depending on where you live. However, according to Johnson, it’s not that bad.
In these early sunrise hours you are more likely to sleep through the night, she explained. They also feature earlier sunsets, which could make it easier to fall asleep at night – especially for your children. Earlier sunrises could also give you more time to exercise or run errands during the cooler morning hours of a summer day, Johnson said, adding that’s one reason parts of Arizona observe standard time year-round.
The potential benefits to our sleep and circadian rhythms could be even more beneficial, Johnson explained.
She told Nexstar that other studies have found links between sleep and circadian rhythm deficiency and mental health problems, drug employ, speeding, criminal behavior, academic performance and job salaries.
“We know that many of the factors that cause people to commit crime increase in sleep-deprived populations,” Johnson said. She also pointed out that research has shown that there were 20% more fatal car accidents in areas where the sun rises and sets later, such as during daylight saving time, than on the other side of the clock, which is a common occurrence Argument put forward refuted Proponents of a lasting daylight saving time change assume that the additional featherlight at night would reduce such incidents.
Another potential benefit of lasting standard time? A decline in suicide rates.
According to Johnson, a current study found that switching to lasting standard time instead of the seasonal daylight saving time we currently have could prevent up to hundreds, if not thousands, of suicides per year.
Aside from the health benefits, there’s also a historical point, Johnson noted: The U.S. has tried before and after to permanently observe daylight saving time “It failed.”
States are allowed They exempt themselves from lasting daylight saving time and do not have the authority to observe daylight saving time all year round. Currently, just Hawaii and part of Arizona Observe standard time all year round.
Daylight saving time ends on November 3rd this year and begins again on March 9th.
