Is permanent Daylight Saving Time a good idea? Sleep medicine doctor weighs in

Not surprisingly, no one seems to enjoy losing an hour with the switch to daylight saving time (DST) each spring.

Most of us enjoy the result — a seemingly longer day as sunset gets pushed back. But do we really have to put ourselves through it? Can’t we just stick with DST year-round?

Some state legislators think so. Others are pushing for permanent standard time. But what does a sleep expert think?

The argument for sticking with standard time is that it would eliminate forever the “spring forward” and “fall back” that so many of us dread, but make our spring and summer afternoons seem a little shorter.

Proponents of permanent DST say it might cut crime by pushing sunset back, and possibly reduce accidents by giving more people daylight to make the evening commute.

Of course, changing the time on the clock doesn’t change the time the sun rises or sets, so any gains in the afternoons would be offset in the early morning. But in a popularity contest, DST wins over Pacific Standard Time (PST) by a landslide.

MultiCare Health System sleep medicine specialist Shravana Gudivada, MD, says at first blush, it sounds like a pretty good idea to stay in DST because that’s the more popular time zone.

“It’s sort of annoying to always have to change the clock back,” she says. “It would be nice to keep it the same.”

But as a sleep medicine specialist, Dr. Gudivada came to a different conclusion. If the state stayed in a permanent DST, it would be even more sleep-deprived than it already is.

“In the summertime when the sun is out later, it actually makes people go to bed later,” she says. “Then the sun will actually get you up in the mornings, so in the summertime, people are getting less sleep.”

The impact is counteracted somewhat by the effect of natural sunlight.

“If you’re sleep-deprived in the summer, the extra sunlight gives you a natural high, so you feel like you’re OK,” she says.

In the winter, the later sunlight will keep people awake later as well, but there won’t be sunlight to wake them up. And with more overcast skies, they won’t get the natural mood boost of a sunny summer day.

“They’re going to be more sleepy when they get on the road,” Dr. Gudivada says.

While proponents of year-round DST say the change could reduce accidents during the evening, Dr. Gudivada is afraid morning accidents will spike.

She says Washington already suffers from more sleep difficulties than other parts of the country simply because our summer days and winter nights are so long. Since sunlight is the strongest “zeitgeber,” or sleep-wake cue, that exists, Washingtonians are already very susceptible to seasonal sleep disruptions.

Teenagers would also suffer. Teens have a strong tendency to stay up late and wake up late. It’s just built in for them, and largely regulated by sunshine.

“It’s difficult for them to wake up for school as it is,” Dr. Gudivada says.

An extra hour of sunshine in the afternoon and getting up in darkness could have a negative effect on grades and behaviors, she theorizes.

As for the sleep disruptions caused by moving the clock ahead or back an hour, Dr. Gudivada says that’s usually overstated.

“It’s the same concept as jet lag,” she says. “It takes about one day to recover from one hour of jet lag.”

So the effects of the time change should only last a day or two for most people, say Dr. Gudivada.

Year-round standard time makes more sense from a sleep standpoint, and multiple medical societies advocate for it, including the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

But ultimately, most people want long summer afternoons and evenings.

“If you want that, then you’ve got to endure the clock changes,” Dr. Gudivada says. “The flip side is sleep deprivation year-round.”

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in April 2019 and updated in February 2024.