By: Frank Corder, Magnolia Tribune
It’s that time of year again, time to reset those clocks and spring forward into Daylight Saving Time.
Most Americans will lose an hour overnight this coming Sunday, March 9, when the time changes at 2 a.m. That means darker mornings and more sunlight later into the evening.
According to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, surveys from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) have found that about 63% of Americans would prefer to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, and 55% experience tiredness following the switch.
The school goes on to note that the time transition does more than just inspire mixed opinions, grogginess, and foul moods. Researchers say that the change has long-term negative consequences for our bodies and minds.
“The scientific evidence points to acute increases in adverse health consequences from changing the clocks, including in heart attack and stroke,” says sleep expert Adam Spira, PhD, MA, a professor in Mental Health.
The school went on to note that the time change “is also associated with a heightened risk of mood disturbances and hospital admissions, as well as elevated production of inflammatory markers in response to stress. The potential for car crashes also spikes just after the spring forward, Spira says; a 2020 study found that the switch raises the risk of fatal traffic accidents by 6%.”
Proponents of the change have long said the extra daylight adds in outdoor work, such as farming, and helps with mental health as there is more daylight during the day. However, as Spira notes, “exposure to more light closer to bedtime makes it harder to fall asleep at our usual bedtime, and can reduce the amount of sleep we’re able to get each night.”
Either way, until Congress acts to change the clock winding practice, most Americans will continue to live by the annual spring forward, fall back routine. Legislation has routinely been filed to support ending the twice-yearly change but it has never reached the President’s desk. President Donald Trump has previously voiced support for keeping Daylight Saving Time permanent.
Notably, Mississippi is among roughly two dozen states that have passed measures to end the practice once Congress acts.
Hawaii has never observed the annual time change and Arizona opted out of it in 1968.
This year, Daylight Saving Time lasts from March 9 through November 2 when clocks will the fall back an hour.
The longest day of the year will be the summer solstice on June 20, 2025, while the shortest day will be the winter solstice on December 21.
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