Well, the U.S. government is proposing to eliminate the November change altogether, which may be a welcome relief to you. A little more sunlight in the evening through the winter couldn’t do any harm, right?
Well, it may. And that’s why the American Medical Association (AMA) and other health and sleep experts are proposing the government scrap potential legislation to standardize daylight savings time and instead institute permanent standard time.
Standard time is what we all switched back to in November and will likely turn off again in March.
According to the AMA and other experts, including the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, standard time is healthier and more natural for humans than daylight savings time.
The pursuit of daylight may incur some serious public health and safety risks.
Experts suggest that the sudden change to daylight savings time in March is associated with increased risks for heart problems, mood disorders, vehicle crashes, and more. A long-term switch to more sunlight may come with metabolic consequences.
Some studies suggest that the human body clock fails to adjust to the change even after a few months.
Standard time, which offers slightly less exposure to sunlight in the evening, is more naturally aligned with the body’s circadian rhythm, which is why it is likely known as the “standard.”
The AMA strongly urges the move to institute daylight savings time to be abandoned and replaced with a permanent switch to standard time instead.