Losing that hour of sleep on Sunday won’t just be unpleasant — it can be dangerous.
Research shows the clock change for Daylight Saving Time increases heart attacks, strokes and motor vehicle crashes.
Dr. Emily Manoogian at the Salk Institute studies circadian rhythms — your internal clocks that regulate sleep, eating and activity.
“It’s an acute one-hour shift, that’s what most people feel and really don’t like. Our body is filled with clocks that coordinate everything we do, but we can’t shift a full hour overnight. That shift could be the tipping point,” said Manoogian.
Dr. Emily Manoogian researches circadian rhythms at the Salk Institute. (Photo by Thomas Murphy/Times of San Diego)Motor vehicle accidents increase by 6% after the spring forward, with early morning commuters in the western U.S. facing the highest risk.
“Most of us are already not getting enough sleep. One extra hour of sleep deprivation leads to foggy thinking and promotes accidents,” said Manoogian.
How does society’s schedule affect our bodies?
Light tells the body what time it is. The brain’s roughly 24-hour clock, located in the hypothalamus, regulates systems that keep us alive.
“During the summer, you wake up when it’s dark out and get light way too late. You have a misalignment of light, your schedule, and the clock on the wall. It’s difficult for the body to adjust,” said Manoogian.
What could replace daylight saving time?
Many major scientific organizations support ending daylight saving time.
“Among science, there’s always different opinions on things. This is not debated. If you look at any scientific body, they all say we should be on permanent standard time. There is no scientific basis for daylight saving time, either permanently or part of the year,” said Manoogian.
Permanent standard time would do away with changing clocks, matching society’s schedule with the body’s.
“It allows us to wake up with the light and get enough darkness to go to bed,” said Manoogian. “We can align our internal clocks with our environment and schedules that society demands without so much of a physical challenge.”
Why do we have daylight saving time?
Daylight saving time was introduced in 1918 to conserve energy during World War I and later returned for World War II. Congress made the twice-yearly time change the national standard in 1966.
America tried permanent daylight saving time in 1974, sparking backlash after children were struck by cars while walking to school in dark winter mornings.
Congress reverted later that year, with a House panel saying that energy saving “must be balanced against a majority of the public’s distaste for the observance of Daylight Saving Time.”
Traffic accidents linked to daylight saving doubled after the Energy Policy Act of 2005 extended the time change by several weeks.
Our most recent attempt to tamper with time was a version of the Sunshine Protection Act, introduced by Florida Republican Vern Buchanan in 2025. It proposed making daylight saving permanent, but was shot down in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Can we change the system?
States have the power to switch to permanent standard time; Hawaii, most of Arizona, and territories like Puerto Rico all do this.
California took the first step to removing daylight saving with Proposition 7, giving lawmakers the power to change the system. The state Senate considered a bill to adopt permanent standard time, but it failed upon first committee review in May 2025.
“The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation,” said President Donald Trump in a Truth Social post in late 2024.
His position softened by May, describing it as a 50-50 issue. He will not be pursuing a nationwide change to permanent standard time, saying “a lot of people like it one way, a lot of people like it the other way. It’s very even. I find, when that’s the case, what else do we have to do?”
“People don’t know which way it’s supposed to go, they just want this switching to end. In reality, that’s probably the lesser problem,” said Manoogian.
The time change is part of a larger health challenge
“All this artificial light is completely changing our behaviors, pushing us back,” said Manoogian. “A lot of us could be earlier if we didn’t have all this stimulus coming in. A lot of it is not the light itself, but our schedules.
“Your free time is at night. You need to let yourself relax, but we’re overextending our days. We overdo it, don’t get enough sleep, and it leads to these problems,” she said.
What can we do to stay healthy?
Everyday, we train ourselves to the 24-hour clock, light cues and our environment. The more consistent we can be, the better.
Research recommends eating one hour after waking up and not eating within three hours of falling asleep.
“The window depends on when you wake up. This allows your glucose to be processed. Once you’re asleep and it’s dark, you don’t process it in the same way,” said Manoogian.
If your schedule demands waking up before the sun, it’s recommended to give yourself as much light as possible to cue your brain.
“You’re the least sensitive to it in the morning, when you expect it, so you need really, really bright light. You’re most sensitive to it at night when you’re expecting it to dim down,” she said.
Because of that nighttime sensitivity, it’s best to avoid bright screens before falling asleep.
“Even if you’re watching TV, dimming your other lights can still help a lot,” said Manoogian.
But even circadian researchers struggle with their own advice.
“I try to go to bed as soon as I can, but I also have two kids. By the time I get them to bed, there’s other work to get done,” she said.
For many people, modern life makes perfect sleep schedules impossible. Even small changes — consistent sleep, morning light and limiting artificial light at night — can help the body maintain a healthy rhythm.
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