The Clock Conundrum: Navigating Daylight Saving Time

Daylight saving time ends soon in the U.S., allowing more sleep but resulting in darker afternoons. The biannual time change can adversely affect the internal body clock, increasing health risks. Some health experts advocate for adopting standard time permanently, citing alignment with natural circadian rhythms.

The end of daylight saving time this Sunday in the U.S. grants an extra hour of sleep, but heralds darker afternoons for months. Shifting to standard time requires clocks to be set back an hour, and lasts until March when daylight saving returns. Though the autumn adjustment is gentler on the body than March's abrupt shift, it still poses challenges to our internal clocks, affecting sleep and daily activities.

Many health organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, argue for the elimination of time changes, citing that standard time aligns more closely with natural sunlight exposure and our biological rhythms. This biannual clock shift disrupts circadian cycles, impacting sleep quality and cardiovascular health. Sleep deprivation already plagues a large portion of the U.S. population, heightening concerns over these routine shifts.

A segment of the population, particularly those susceptible to seasonal affective disorder, struggle with the reduced daylight hours. While proposals like the Sunshine Protection Act aim to make daylight saving time permanent, experts and affected individuals, such as dairy farmers, are calling for a consistent, unchanging time standard to align with natural rhythms and economic routines.

(With inputs from agencies.)