Many Long Islanders will get an extra hour of sleep Sunday when daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. and clocks “go back” an hour. In the short term, this is good news for most of us.
But a growing number of experts — and some lawmakers — say seasonal time changes are disruptive and should be eliminated as Americans adopt permanent standard time.
“In terms of science and policy, the evidence is pretty clear: People sleep more and perform better when they’re on standard time,” said Lauren Hale, a professor in the University’s preventive medicine program. Stony Brook and founding editor of National Sleep Foundation Sleep Health Journal.
That’s because during normal time, more sunlight is available in the morning, when sunlight acts as the primary signal for a set of physical, mental, and behavioral changes in the body called circadian rhythms. Sunlight helps us wake up; darkness makes us sleepy.
“Every cell in your body has a clock” that tracks these rhythms, Hale said. These protein clocks are also present in bacteria, plants and animals. In humans, they are regulated by a mass of neurons in the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus which receives direct information from the eyes.
Disturbed rhythms
Daylight saving time disrupts these rhythms. Introduced more than a century ago during World War I, daylight saving time aimed to conserve precious energy by moving clocks forward an hour, delaying the need for electric lighting in the evening.
This practice, repeated during the Second World War, appealed to those who appreciated an extra hour of light at the end of summer days. Congress codified it in 1966 with the adoption of Uniform Time Act, which has been modified periodically since. Hawaii and Arizona do not observe daylight saving time.
Scientific studies have shown that the time change is – more than just a nuisance – linked to acute harms. An article in the November issue of the journal Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine, authored by psychology professor Michael Antle, found dozens of recent articles linking the schedule change to automobile and workplace safety concerns, increasing incidence of cardiovascular disease, drug overdoses and suicide. Studies have also shown that time changes make people less generous, more likely to procrastinate — and even more slowly. The study showing that marathon runners’ times were 12.3 minutes slower after the hour lost in the spring; the added fall time reduced arrival times by 1.4 minutes.
Antle, a psychology professor at the University of Calgary who studies mammalian circadian rhythms, said the switch to daylight saving time creates a “lag between the circadian rhythm, the work cycle and the social clock.” which lasts for weeks.
It is enough to switch to daylight saving time full time, as proposed by US Senator Marco Rubio (Republican of Florida) in his speech. Sun Protection Actdid not solve these health problems when attempted by the United Kingdom in the 1960s and by Russia about a decade ago, Antle said.
“You might think you’d like a little more light in the winter, but everyone who’s tried it has buyer’s remorse,” he said.
Accumulation of evidence
Dr. Frederick Davis, an emergency medicine specialist with Northwell Health, said the “retrenchment” could have negative impacts on people who work night shifts in fields like medicine, law enforcement and driving automobile.
Dr. Harly E. Greenberg, a pulmonary care and sleep medicine specialist, also at Northwell, said evidence of the harms of the time change is “mounting.” While “biology suggests we opt for permanent standard time,” he acknowledged that many people prefer daylight saving time.
“This needs to be sorted out by politicians,” he said.
Both doctors recommended changing the time before going to sleep on Saturday, taking advantage of the extra hour of sleep if possible. Greenberg also recommended gradually introducing the change in 15-minute increments. Hale, of Stony Brook, said people should take the opportunity to evaluate their “sleep hygiene…limited caffeine in the afternoon, limited technology in the bedroom and trying to get that early morning light” .
Versions of the Sunshine Protection Act have been under consideration by committees in the U.S. Senate and House since March. At least four bills related to daylight saving time are in committee in the New York State Legislature. They would, in various ways, make standard time and daylight saving time permanent, move the state to the Atlantic time zone and establish a committee to consider these issues.
To assemble. Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx), sponsor of the bill to make standard time permanent, said the health concerns of time changes outweigh any benefits DST could have offer in the past.
“It’s ridiculous, in the 21st century, to have this gadget,” he said.
