![]() For instance, a study from scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder, published in Current Biology in 2020, found an increase in fatal car accidents in the week after the spring forward time change. The ASSM points to an " abundance of accumulated evidence" linking the transition from standard time to daylight saving time to an increase in cardiovascular events, mood disorders, and car crashes. He plans to travel to Capitol Hill in April with the advocacy committee for the American Academy for Sleep Medicine to oppose the Sunshine Protection Act. "The natural daily cycle of light and darkness," he says, "is really the most powerful timing cue that we have to synchronize our body clock."ĭaylight saving time increases evening exposure to light, Navab explains, which can make it harder to fall asleep at night. Pedram Navab a neurologist and sleep medicine specialist in Los Angeles. And that is much easier when it's light in the morning," Martin explains. "When I work with folks who have insomnia, we work very hard to have a consistent time to get up in the morning. Martin treats patients with sleep problems. "Restoring permanent, year-round standard time is the best option for our health and well-being," Martin says. "Light in the morning is very important," she says. "Human circadian rhythms are very closely linked to the rising and setting of the sun," explains Jennifer Martin, a psychologist who is also president of the AASM.Īnd she says our internal clock is not as well aligned during daylight saving time. ![]() ![]() Instead, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Medical Association both favor permanent standard time, which preserves morning light. Many doctors and scientists agree it's time to stop the twice a year time change, but they oppose legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent. "It's just a one-hour change," he says, but this shows how sensitive our bodies may be to circadian rhythm disruptions. Jay Chudow, a cardiologist at Montefiore Health, told NPR last year. "I was very surprised," researcher and study author Dr. One study found an increase in hospitalizations for atrial fibrillation, a type of heart arrhythmia, in the days following the springtime transition to daylight saving time. But in recent years, the spring time change has been linked to an increase in cardiac events, perhaps due to disrupted sleep. The health impacts have been more complicated to figure out. The key argument is, more light in the evening can prompt people to go out and spend more money at shops and restaurants. Rubio is trying again, pointing to the potential health and economic benefits. The Senate unanimously passed a similar measure in 2022, but it did not get enough support in the House of Representatives. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who has introduced the Sunshine Protection Act of 2023, says the ritual of changing our clocks twice a year "makes no sense," and is "stupid." He's joined by a bipartisan group of senators including Ron Wyden (D-Ore) and Edward Markey (D-Mass). And some lawmakers want to make daylight saving time permanent, to avoid the disruption of constant switching. The time change brings darker mornings and extends light in the evening. Millions of us may lose sleep when clocks "spring forward" by one hour this Sunday, as most states switch to daylight saving time.
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