As we prepare to switch our clocks back an hour to standard time on Nov. 3, in keeping with the twice-a-year time change, those who loathe the practice may take heart in the notion that it may be on its way out.
As we prepare to switch our clocks back an hour to standard time on Nov. 3, in keeping with the twice-a-year time change, those who loathe the practice may take heart in the notion that it may be on its way out.
Provincial governments in Ontario and British Columbia both have movements afoot to abolish the time change and Alberta took a crack at doing the same in recent times. Similar talks are underway in the European Union and, in the U.S., 27 states are giving serious consideration to ditching the switch, with Florida, Washington and five others awaiting congressional approval for the move.
These are positive developments, according to Dr. Michael Antle, PhD, a professor with the Department of Psychology at the University of Calgary whose research is focused on circadian rhythms, the internal clocks in our brains which help moderate our sleep/wake cycles. What’s not so positive, says Antle, is the fact that everybody moving to make the switch is pushing for permanent daylight saving time (DST), opting, essentially, for a longer work day, with sunrise and sunset coming an hour later.
“The problem with these plans is that the evidence suggests a move to permanent standard time would be better for individual and societal health,” asserts Antle, who is also a member of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the Cumming School of Medicine and an adjunct professor with the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology.
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Image via University of Calgary.
