“Standard Time aligns much closer to the Sun’s peak than Daylight Saving Time as it should be.”
Health experts strongly agree that standard time is significantly better for human health than daylight saving time (DST). The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and circadian biologists recommend making standard time permanent, as it closely aligns with our natural body clocks.
Key health benefits of standard time include:
- Better Circadian Alignment: Standard time provides more morning sunlight and earlier evening darkness. Morning light resets our internal clock, while darker evenings naturally trigger melatonin production, promoting deeper, more restorative sleep.
- Reduced “Social Jet Lag”: DST forces our bodies into chronic misalignment with the sun’s natural cycle. This mismatch is linked to higher rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and depression.
- Decreased Acute Health Risks: The sudden shift to DST in the spring is tied to an immediate spike in strokes, heart attacks, and traffic accidents. Permanent standard time avoids this traumatic biannual transition.
- Reduced Disease Risk: A Stanford University study estimates that permanent standard time could lead to 300,000 fewer strokes and 2.6 million fewer people dealing with obesity nationwide compared to our current seasonal clock changes.
- Fewer Immediate Complications: The “spring forward” transition to daylight saving time is linked to spikes in heart attacks, migraines, and severe sleep deprivation.
- Safer Mornings: Permanent daylight saving time would plunge winter mornings into deep, prolonged darkness. Standard time ensures children and morning commuters don’t have to navigate in hazardous, pitch-black conditions.
By contrast, permanent DST would force us to endure darker, more dangerous winter mornings, negatively impacting commuter safety and contributing to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
Debunking 10 Myths About Daylight Saving Time
Submitted by A Longtime Health Advocate & Environmental Activist
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