Should Daylight Saving Time be abolished? Experts weigh in
Experts have weighed in on the ongoing daylight saving abolishment debate. They have claimed that DTS has been causing significant harm to the body.
Sleep experts have weighed in on the ongoing discussions about abolishing daylight saving time. According to The Dose, Canadians only take a few days to adjust to the DST, but it leaves a lasting impact on their sleeping patterns and harms the body’s internal clock.
The psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist, Dr. Michael Mak, revealed to the media outlet that "the internal body clock essentially aligns itself to the solar clock—the external light-dark environment." He went on to add that oftentimes a mismatch in the internal body clock and the external light-dark cycle could lead to the rise of health issues.
Hence, he claimed that instead of switching back and forth from DST and standard time, the clocks should be set to the latter, as it suits the body's natural rhythms.
What harm could Daylight Saving Time cause?
According to Rebecca Robillard, an associate professor at the University of Ottawa, the springtime shift to DST is more harmful to the body than gaining an hour in the fall. She revealed to The Dose, "We're losing an hour of sleep time in many cases." Elsewhere in the conversation, Robillard stated, "This is important because a lot of the population is already sleep deprived to start with.”
Meanwhile, according to research conducted, the shift to DST is often linked to health concerns such as heart attack, stroke, and digestive issues. It could also lead to problems in pregnancy and childbirth. The media reports also suggest that countries far from the equator adopt daylight saving time to take advantage of the longer hours during the spring and summer.
And hence, "You would hope that we would wake up a little bit later to catch up as well, but because of work and family duties and all of that, our social pressure [curtails] our sleep,” Robillard claimed.
Also read: Daylight Saving Time ends soon, clocks to 'fall back'. What it means and what changes
Why do experts believe in sticking to the standard time?
To quit the switching between times every six months, D.C. and Ontario have passed legislation to permanently follow the DST schedule. However, the experts believe that instead of changing the routine all at once, it is suggested that the citizens in the U.S. and Canada wake up and go to bed 15 minutes earlier than their regular time.
Robillard also stated in her research that staying active while maintaining a regular sleep and eating schedule can help people ease right into the switch between DST and Standard Time.
"However, be careful to not [exercise] close to bedtime … because then you might need—you might end up activating your system a bit too much, and that sends mixed signals to your biological clock that it might be time to wake up and be active," the expert mentioned.
FAQs
Q1. Why is it important to stick to the standard time?
The switch between DST and standard time could hurt health.
Q2. What health risks could be caused by the DST switch?
People could suffer from heart attacks, digestive problems, and more due to the DST switch.
Q3. How can people adjust to the Daylight Saving Time schedule?
People should stay active while also maintaining healthy eating and sleeping schedules.
