As the clocks are set to go backwards this Sunday, many will be looking forward to that extra hour in bed.
But top sleep scientists have called for an end to Daylight Saving Time (DST) amid fears it fuels a rise in cancer, traffic accidents and sleep issues.
In a UK first, experts from the British Sleep Society have published a position statement advocating for the abolition of the twice-yearly clock change.
The practice was first introduced in 1916 in a bid to improve workforce productivity by making the most of daylight hours in the summer months.
It means the clocks go forward by one hour at 1am on the last Sunday in March, and back one hour at 2am on the last Sunday in October.
The argument is that as the days get longer, shifting our schedules forward gives people more sunlight hours during their working day.
But the Society are calling for the restoration of permanent Standard Time (Greenwich Mean Time) based on scientific evidence highlighting the negative consequences of the clock change.
As the clocks are set to go backwards this Sunday, many will be looking forward to that extra hour in bed. But top sleep scientists have called for an end to Daylight Saving Time (DST) amid fears it fuels a rise in cancer, traffic accidents and sleep issues
Losing an hour of sleep when the clocks move forward can result in the whole population feeling more tired than usual.
Some studies have suggested that the risk of fatal traffic accidents increases by around six per cent following the spring daylight savings time transition.
There is also evidence of an increased risk of cardiovascular events, increased risk of suicidal behaviours and increased mortality in the days after switching our clocks.
Meanwhile, our bodies rely on bright morning sun to keep our body clocks aligned with the normal 24-hour solar cycle.
There is a growing – although somewhat contested – body of evidence that a mismatch between the sun and our bodies can have severe long-term health impacts.
Studies have shown that those living in the West of a time zone – where the mismatch between the sun time and our body clocks is greatest – have higher risks of leukaemia, stomach cancer, lung cancer and breast cancer.
Since this mismatch is very similar to those experienced when the clocks go forward, some scientists say daylight savings might be having a similar impact.
The British Sleep Society’s perspective emphasizes that sleep is central to health and wellbeing and the enforced changes can interfere with our ability to regulate our shuteye.
Losing an hour of sleep when the clocks move forward can result in the whole population feeling more tired than usual
‘What we often don’t realise is that DST changes our schedules, moving them forward by one hour while daylight remains the same,’ co-author Eva Winnebeck, from the University of Surrey, said.
‘DST forces us all to get up and go to work or school one hour earlier. In seasons with fewer daylight hours such as now in autumn, it means most of us have to get up and commute in the dark.’
The Society argues that natural daylight in the morning is crucial for maintaining an alignment of our body clocks with day and night, which is essential for optimal sleep and overall health.
‘Some people even advocate switching to Daylight Saving Time all year around, but we consider this a misguided idea,’ said co-author Professor Malcolm von Schantz of Northumbria University.
‘Mornings are the time when our body clocks have the greatest need for light to stay in synch.
‘At our latitudes, there simply is no spare daylight to save during the winter months and given the choice between natural light in the morning and natural light in the afternoon, the scientific evidence favours light in the morning.’
While other sleep societies have also argued for the return to year-round Standard Time, this position statement is the first published UK perspective.
The British Sleep Society, which is dedicated to the study of sleep and its disorders, published its recommendation in the Journal of Sleep Research.
