Daylight saving time (DST) has always been controversial. I will be honest about this Daylight-Saving time is NOT my favorite thing.

 

Every year in America on the 2nd Sunday in March we are reminded to Spring Foward an hour of time. For some reason the recommendation is to do it

at 2 a.m. Honestly, who actually stays up until 2 a.m. to do this? Everyone I know does it when they go to bed. Then, on the Second Sunday of November, we are reminded to Fall Back an hour.

 

I am not a fan of this lose-an-hour and gain-an-hour routine.

Why? Well, Spring Forward is right around early March. My whole life I get the honor of losing an hour of sleep on or near my birthday! One of my best friends has an early November birthday. So, every year around her birthday, we Fall Back – she gets an extra hour of sleep! I tease her about it every year: "Enjoy my hour– Happy Birthday!"

 

So why do we do this ritual? There are many stories about why we do this biannual clock change in America. I have heard all kinds of origin stories. As a researcher and scientist, I decided to dig into it this year, when I realized this had occurred on my Birthday in 2025. I needed to find our facts! Was I just being dramatic due to lack of sleep, and taking it personally, or is there no-good reason for this annoying ritual? Spoiler Alert ...I am NOT incorrect; we should not do this!

 

In 1784, Benjamin Franklin wrote a satirical essay suggesting people wake up earlier in summer to reduce the need for candle usage in the evening. Keep in mind, satirical means witty, sarcastic, and critical. He was not proposing policy. He wrote it to make a point: people could live more efficiently and economically by aligning their habits with natural daylight.

 

Michael Downing, the author of "Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight-Saving Time", wrote that DST is a loopy idea! He was obsessed with its quirks. I now know that I am not the only one that is not a fan! The modern concept of DST originated with entomologist George Veron Hudson, who proposed a two-hour in 1895 to maximize daylight for collecting insects after work. (Downing, 2018).

 

Time Magazine notes that the first official adopters were Germany and Austria-Hungary on April 30,1916, during WWI to conserve coal and reduce need for artificial lighting. The United Kingdom and other European nations followed. The US adopted DST in 1918, which was initially unpopular but reinstated during WWII. In 1966, the Uniform Time Act required all states to observe 6 months of DST and 6 months of Standard Time in an effort to get all states on the same page. Changing the Clocks is one of America's most enduring political controversies.

 

Modern energy usage patterns call into question whether DST is effective. One of the biggest impacts is NOT on electricity — it is on Biology! DST disrupts circadian rhythms of the organisms of the Earth: people, animals, and ecosystems. Circadian rhythms are the natural 24 hr-cycle that regulates sleep, alertness, and metabolic functions (Roenneberg & Merrow, 2016). Abruptly shifting clocks disrupts this balance, impacting sleep, attention, memory, and decision-making particularly in the week following the change. (Wittman, et, al,2016)

 

Even with this knowledge, every Spring we dutifully adjust our clocks1 hour forward and in Fall we adjust our clocks back 1 hour. Most of us are not fond of this activity.

Research shows that the shift is associated with a 24% increase in heart attacks compared to normal Mondays, and that falling back has a 21% decrease. (Janszky & Ljung, New England Journal of Medicine, 2008). A 2020 meta-analysis confirmed that spring shift increases risk of acute Myocardial infarction, known as heart attacks (Manfredini et al., Sleep Medicine, 2020). The Journal Current Biology studies indicate a rise in fatal traffic accidents following Spring Forward. (Fritz, et.al, Current Biology, 2020)

 

A Standford study looked at 3-time policies: Permanent Standard Time, Permanent Daylight-Saving time, and the current Biannual shift. The research was to determine the circadian rhythms and health at each of the time polices through the country.

Resulting Ranking of 3-time policy Worst to Best:

1. Biannual Shift (messes with circadian rhythms.)

2. Permanent Standard time (the natural rhythm of our rotating Earth)

3. Permanent Daylight-Saving Time - which has been introduced as the Sunshine Protection act which has been introduced to Congress most recently in 2018, and 2021. It passed in the Senate but not the House - So it is not in effect.

 

As of 2025, 48 states and Washington DC participated in DST. States can opt to remain on standard time permanently; 20 states have passed laws or resolutions to observe DST permanently. This cannot be acted upon until Congress passes it. Two states do not adhere to DST- Hawaii and Arizona.

 

In conclusion, as a Scientist, I follow the data. I am a fan of staying with the motion of our Earth at all times. If I were asked to vote it would be for Permanent Standard Time.

_________________________________________________________________________

Sources in addition to the noted references in text: Maximum Weather Instruments, Excerpts from Michael Downing "Spring Forward", USA Facts, Time and Date.com