October 23rd 2024.
Many people believe that it is about time for a change in our ever-changing world. As the clocks prepare to go back an hour this weekend, there are growing calls for them to never go forward again. According to researchers, our current system of switching between Daylight Saving Time and Standard Time is not only bad for our sleep, but it also disrupts our natural circadian rhythms which are influenced by the levels of daylight.
The British Sleep Society, a professional organization for medical and health workers, has released a statement in the Journal of Sleep Research, strongly recommending that the United Kingdom stick to one time throughout the year, and that time should be Greenwich Mean Time. This may come as a surprise to some, as previous discussions about changing our system have focused on permanently adopting the summer schedule in order to have more daylight in the evenings.
The question remains: should we make a change or remain in the same state? Five years ago, it seemed like a change was imminent after the European parliament voted to get rid of the practice of changing the clocks twice a year. In fact, a government official even emailed a colleague saying that the recommendation would likely be to adopt British Summer Time all year round.
However, according to the British charity, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, keeping summertime permanent could save many lives as there would be fewer accidents on the roads during dark evenings. But the sleep researchers argue that it is the clocks moving forward in the spring, when we lose light in the morning, that has the greatest impact on our circadian rhythms.
The statement was issued by a team of academics from various universities across the UK, led by Dr. Megan Crawford from the University of Strathclyde, Dr. Eva Winnebeck from the University of Surrey, and Professor Malcolm von Schantz from Northumbria University. According to Prof. von Schantz, GMT aligns closely with the natural light-dark cycles of the day and night, and having natural daylight in the morning is crucial for maintaining a healthy alignment of our body clocks.
He adds that restoring permanent Standard Time would bring our clocks in line with solar time, resulting in earlier sunsets in the summer, but also providing additional benefits to our health by improving sleep and circadian alignment due to increased exposure to morning sunlight during the autumn and spring months.
But when exactly will the clocks go back? They will be turned back by one hour at 2am on October 27, giving us all an extra hour in bed. In the UK, the clocks go forward one hour at 1am on the last Sunday in March, and back one hour at 2am on the last Sunday in October. The period when the clocks are one hour ahead is called British Summer Time, also known as Daylight Saving Time, while the time when the clocks go back is referred to as Standard Time.
Dr. Winnebeck explains that what most people do not realize is that Daylight Saving Time changes our schedules, moving them forward by one hour while daylight remains the same. This means that we all have to wake up and go to work or school one hour earlier. And during seasons with fewer daylight hours, such as autumn, this results in having to commute in the dark for most people.
Dr. Crawford points out that there is a misguided idea that clocks should be permanently moved forward from a sleep and circadian health perspective. She says that mornings are when our body clocks need the most light to stay in sync and, considering our latitudes, there is simply no extra daylight to save during the winter months. Given the choice between natural light in the morning and natural light in the afternoon, the scientific evidence favors light in the morning.
It is understood that the Government has no plans to change the daylight savings system at this time.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
