Adopting a permanent standard time in the United States rather than changing times biannually is a healthier option for Americans, according to a Sept. 15 peer-reviewed study published in the PNAS journal.
“Seasonal changes in time policy, such as switching between Standard Time (SDT) and Daylight Saving Time (DST), have been adopted by many countries, including the United States,” the study’s authors from Stanford University said. “While transitioning between SDT and DST has notable acute negative population health impacts, the chronic impact of these time policies on health has not been well evaluated.”
Researchers looked at how SDT, DST, and biannual shifting between these two time setups affect people’s circadian rhythms and health. Circadian rhythm is a person’s innate 24-hour clock that regulates several physiological processes in their body.
The study found that continuing with biannual shifting “produces a greater burden on the circadian system” compared to adopting permanent times.
If the country were to adopt SDT as the permanent time, the prevalence of obesity would fall by 0.78 percent and stroke by 0.09 percent compared to the current biannual shifting policy, it said.
“These seemingly small percentage changes in common conditions would amount to 2.6 million fewer people with obesity and 300,000 fewer cases of stroke” per year, science writer Nina Bai from Stanford’s Office of Communications wrote in a Sept. 15 article on the study.
If DST were to be made permanent, gains would still be made, but smaller compared to permanent SDT. In such a situation, obesity dips by 0.51 percent or 1.7 million individuals, while incidents of stroke decline by 0.04 percent or 220,000 cases, said the statement.
“Our data, reflecting the impact of time policy on circadian burden and subsequent health benefits, support the cessation of [biannual shifting],” researchers wrote in the study.
Making SDT time permanent would result in more light in the mornings, while a permanent DST time gives more light in the evenings.
I call BS! doesn’t appear to bother the animals or bugs or birds when we switch so why make such a fuss over it?
Because animals and bugs and birds don’t use clocks, and don’t try to schedule their lives with clocks. They follow their natural rhythms, sunrise/sunset. We should too, but our bosses make us show up at certain times, and stay until certain times, so that’s why we get messed up.
I haven’t fully recovered from the last time change yet. That one whole hour of change really threw me for a loop.