Permanent daylight saving time could be a public health time bomb
Trump pushes the US to adopt pDST, but Canadian researchers say darker mornings come with costs for sleep, learning, and productivity
President Trump is pushing for the US Senate to make daylight saving time permanent, claiming benefits such as longer golfing time. However, new Canadian research suggests that permanent daylight saving time could have detrimental health effects, potentially outweighing the minor advantages. A paper in the Canadian Medical Association Journal reviewed evidence and concluded that permanent standard time would be better for people's health.
Prolonged morning darkness, caused by keeping daylight saving time, disrupts the human body's circadian rhythm, which runs on a slightly longer schedule than a 24-hour day. The importance of morning light to synchronize our circadian rhythm, wake us up, and get us moving cannot be overstated. Evening light, on the other hand, delays the circadian rhythm, negatively impacting sleep, mood, education, and work productivity.
Studies have shown that those living in western US time zones with later sunsets experience reduced sleep duration and lower earnings. Furthermore, in educational settings, an additional hour of sunlight before school is linked to higher math and reading scores. The Canadian authors note that while eliminating biannual clock adjustments may reduce transition harms, the long-term health consequences of permanent daylight saving time are likely to be chronic.
Multiple countries have previously tried and reversed attempts at implementing permanent daylight saving time, citing concerns such as dark winter mornings, disrupted sleep, body clock disruptions, safety issues, and public dissatisfaction. The US has enacted daylight saving time twice before, once during World War II and again in 1973, but both instances were later abandoned due to public backlash over dark winter mornings.
The Canadian researchers hope that if the US adopts permanent daylight saving time, Canada will feel pressured to follow suit, but it remains unclear whether the US government will succeed despite scientific evidence and political resistance.
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