A Wash U Professor Explains Why Daylight Saving Time Is Bad For Us

[Sherman A1]

This weekend, weary Halloween revelers across the U.S. will dutifully set their clocks to “fall back” — signaling the end of daylight saving time for 2020. The annual ritual may give some people an extra hour of sleep on Saturday night, but for others, including parents of young children and shift workers, it’s an annoying complication that takes days of adjustment.

And is it really necessary? A growing body of evidence suggests that our twice-yearly tradition of changing our clocks to gain or lose an hour of morning sunlight isn’t just irritating: It’s actually dangerous. In the first days after the switch to daylight saving time in the spring, heart attacks and traffic accidents both increase.

Several states are now contemplating an end to daylight saving time. Last year, the Illinois Senate actually passed a bill to abolish the practice, which dates back to World War I and was presented as an energy saver (research, it’s worth noting, is “decidedly mixed”).

On Thursday’s St. Louis on the Air, Erik Herzog explained why scientists increasingly believe we need to scrap the time shifting. A professor of biology and neuroscience at Washington University, he focuses on understanding circadian clocks and their role in behavior and health.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2020-10-27/thursday-the-case-against-daylight-saving-time

[SheltieLover]

1. Just read another article on this

Even TN, hardly a progressive state by any means, is ready to stop this insanity, yet is waiting on the Fed to approve it. There are other states, too, which have approved a stop to this and are also awaiting federal approval.

I can tell you it really causes a lot of stress for those with autism. I worked with many professionally for years and it really just screws with them.

Let's hope Joe and Kamala put an end to this ridiculous practice!

Thanks for posting, Sharman!

[Sherman A1]

2. I hated it when I was working.

My Sunday morning grocery shift started at 4am and I can tell you the exact spot on the highway during my commute that the time would change. Really screwed up my sleep pattern for at least a week and driving industrial lift trucks as work is never a good idea when you are not on top of your game.

[SheltieLover]

3. I hear you!

A ridiculous practice! And dangerous, as you've pointed out.

Think of high school kids who get up at 5am for a long bus ride, suddenly getting up at 4am.

I hope this is addressed sometime soon

[phylny]

4. Yes!

When I was working (retired now, too) it would take me a week to rebound from that one-hour change. I guess because it's one hour multiplied by 7 days.

It's really difficult to manage with babies and pets, too :

[PJMcK]

5. Let's change all of our clocks to GMT

Put the entire world on one clock that is based on Universal Time.

So what if you go to work at 3:00 am? If it's light outside, what difference does it make? It's all attitude and personal perspective.

If the whole world was on one clock, we wouldn't have to make conversions just because of one's longitudinal position.

Besides, time is supposed to be a fixed element for those of us not traveling near the speed of light.

One time for everyone. Why is that so difficult to understand?