The case against switching to daylight saving time

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While the practice of switching to daylight saving time is common in North America and Europe, a majority of countries do not observe it

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On March 10 at 2 a.m., countries throughout North America including Canada, Cuba, Haiti and the United States will nudge their clocks an hour forward to observe daylight saving time. But some argue that this spring forward should be the last.

“The spring-ahead side of this transition, where we go with daylight savings, is quite harmful,” said Simon Sherry, a clinical psychologist, professor and director of Dalhousie University’s Personality Research Team as well as co-founder of Crux Psychology. “It’s hard on our hearts in terms of heart attacks, it’s linked to strokes. There’s compelling evidence that it results in accidents, often motor vehicle accidents.”

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Sherry also said that the period around the spring forward sees a worsening or development of depressive symptoms, and an up to six per cent increase in suicide deaths.

“I think the likeliest culprit (causing these issues) that scientists have pointed toward is the dysregulation of our circadian rhythms,” Sherry said. “We have a biological clock that operates on a 24-hour rhythm and, as we spring forward or fall back, we disrupt that circadian rhythm.”

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However, according to Sherry, opinions on daylight saving time are not universal, with many others in the scientific community adamant the extra hour of sunlight is beneficial.

“If I were to argue the other side, sleep scientists have said it’s better to have that additional hour of light in the morning,” Sherry said. “There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that passing lights through your retinas in the morning is quite helpful. It helps with our biological rhythm and helps with our sleep-wake cycle.”

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Around the world, the majority of countries do not observe daylight saving time, with Europe and North America having the highest concentration of adherents. Europe’s daylight saving time begins on March 31, three weeks later than in North America.

The purpose of daylight saving time is in the name itself: it increases the amount of daylight one would see in a typical day by moving the clock forward an hour. During times when energy was limited, as during the First and Second World Wars, daylight saving time was much more commonly used, but it has been losing popularity ever since.

Even in Canada and the U.S., two of the most fervent adherents to the clock change, some provinces, territories and states have decided to no longer move in and out of daylight saving time. Saskatchewan, the Yukon Territories, Arizona and Hawaii are no longer observing the time changes.

Currently, in the U.S. senate, there is a bill, the Sunshine Protection Act, that would make the change to daylight saving time permanent. Sherry believes that if the U.S. were to adopt this bill, Canada would be very likely to follow. However, the bill has been introduced multiple times and has yet to be passed into law, despite bipartisan support. Opponents would prefer to have permanent standard time versus permanent daylight saving time.

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This represents one of the issues when trying to abolish switching to daylight saving time: figuring out which time zone to go into. Governments have the option of permanently being an hour ahead in daylight saving time or just sticking with standard time.

Many sleep scientists argue that staying on standard time is a better match for natural circadian rhythms, and that getting more sun early in the morning is beneficial to one’s health. Those on the side of permanent daylight saving time argue that more sun throughout the day would lower depressive symptoms in the darker months and lower crime rates, as the sun is out later in the evening.

“There are pros and cons on both sides,” Sherry said. “If we picked one, we’d have fewer transitions to deal with.”

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