Is It Time To Stop “Falling Back” And “Springing Forward”?

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For more than a century, many countries around the world, including Canada, have adjusted their clocks twice a year to accommodate for Daylight Saving Time (DST). In the US, most states observe DST, moving clocks forward one hour in the spring and back one hour in the fall. However, Arizona and Hawaii have opted out, as have US territories like Puerto Rico and Guam. Globally, about 70 countries still observe DST, but many — including Japan, India, and China — don’t bother with the switch at all. 

Daylight Saving Time was introduced during World War I to conserve energy and resources by extending daylight hours into the evening. The logic was that people would use less artificial light in the evenings, saving coal and electricity. The practice was standardized in the United States in 1966 with the Uniform Time Act.

However, energy savings from DST are minimal in today’s world of energy-efficient technology, and many argue that the biannual time changes cause more harm than good.

In 2020, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) issued a firm recommendation: it’s time to abolish this outdated practice. The AASM and other experts argue that DST disrupts our sleep-wake cycles, leading to health risks like increased heart attacks, strokes, and car accidents right after the time change. 

These disruptions are especially problematic in spring when people "lose" an hour of sleep. Studies have found there to be an increase in the number of car accidents during the week following the time change. The AASM advocates to cease the practice of DST, which would align more naturally with our bodies' internal clocks. 

“Daylight saving time increases our morning exposure to darkness and evening exposure to sunlight, the most powerful timing cue for the human body clock,” said Dr. Shannon Sullivan, chair of the AASM Public Safety Committee and clinical professor of sleep medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. “The time change causes misalignment between the body’s daily rhythm and the clock, making it harder to fall asleep at night, disrupting sleep quality, and leading to sleep loss which can negatively impact health and safety.”

In addition to health concerns, DST causes inconveniences for many groups of people. Farmers—often thought to be supporters of DST—have historically opposed it because it disrupts their schedules and routines. Polls from YouGov, an international market research company, show that most Americans are tired of changing clocks and support ending the practice altogether.

In recent years, several states have passed legislation to make DST permanent, but federal law currently prohibits states from adopting year-round DST without congressional approval. The Sunshine Protection Act, a bill introduced to make DST permanent nationwide, has garnered attention but has stalled in Congress.

Meanwhile, the European Union planned to abolish the seasonal clock changes in 2021 but has delayed action. In 2023, experts asked the Council of the European Union to re-add the topic of abolishing the practice of DST to its agenda. Many hoped the issue would be addressed before June’s EU Parliament elections. However, that did not happen, and the issue was yet again dismissed.