As the US govt wants to change the clock 'forever', researchers in Canada warn
Researchers in Canada are warning against the US government's push to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, citing potential long-term public health risks. The study suggests that permanent standard time is biologically healthier as it aligns better with human circadian rhythms.
Why it matters
This debate impacts public health policy and productivity, as shifting sunlight patterns affect sleep quality and human biological cycles.
A renewed political drive in the United States to end seasonal clock adjustments by locking in year-round Daylight Saving Time is facing resistance from both Capitol Hill and the medical community. While President Donald Trump has put heavy pressure on lawmakers to pass the measure -- calling for extra evening sunshine for recreation and business -- a growing body of scientific evidence warns that the policy could trigger chronic public health damage. Incidentally, some members of Congress in the US have long been interested in the potential benefits and costs of daylight saving time since it was first adopted as a wartime measure in 1942. The Senate passed a bill in 2022 to make daylight saving time permanent, but it got stalled in the House.The debate reignited this week with the publication of a research review in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
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