Sleep Experts Disagree If It Should Be Standard Or DST

The U.S. Senate just passed legislation, unanimously, to make daylight saving time permanent. I believe that most people are in favor of getting rid of falling back in the Fall and springing forward in the Spring. The Senate passed that legislation with almost no debate. It now moves to the House and if passed in the House unchanged on to Biden’s desk.

There is no debate among sleep experts to end the yearly seasonal time changes. There appears to be a debate among the experts and the Senate. The majority of sleep experts believe we should follow standard time year-round.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) issued a statement cautioning that the move to daylight saving time (DST) overlooks potential health risks associated with that time system. They wrote:

Data clearly show that the sudden change from standard time to daylight saving time in March is associated with significant public health and safety risks, including increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events, mood disorders, and motor vehicle crashes.

They went on to write:

The AASM position statement also indicates that “current evidence best supports the adoption of year-round standard time, which aligns best with human circadian biology and provides distinct benefits for public health and safety.” The statement was endorsed by more than 20 medical, scientific, and civic organizations, including the American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, National PTA, National Safety Council, Society for Research on Biological Rhythms, and World Sleep Society.

Where was DST first used? According to timeanddate.com it was Canada. They write “While Germany and Austria were the first countries to use DST in 1916, it is a little-known fact that a few hundred Canadians beat the German Empire by eight years. On July 1, 1908, the residents of Port Arthur, Ontario—today's Thunder Bay—turned their clocks forward by one hour to start the world's first DST period”.

Why do we have DST? The History Channel states the following:

Many think that daylight saving time was conceived to give farmers an extra hour of sunlight to till their fields, but this is a common misconception. In fact, farmers have long been opposed to springing forward and falling back, since it throws off their usual harvesting schedule. The real reasons for daylight saving are based around energy conservation and a desire to match daylight hours to the times when most people are awake.

Are you for ditching the seasonal time change and if so which one would you prefer?