President-elect Donald Trump wants to eliminate daylight saving time (DST), and some experts say it could improve health and wellness.
President Trump announced this goal last Friday in a post on Truth Social.
“Republicans are going to do everything in their power to abolish daylight saving time, which has a small but powerful constituency, but they shouldn't!” he wrote. “Daylight saving time is an inconvenience and very costly to our country.”
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With rare exceptions, most of the United States is under DST, which requires clocks to be set forward one hour in the spring (on the second Sunday in March) to provide more daylight. summer evening.
In the fall (first Sunday in November), clocks return to standard time.
President-elect Donald Trump announced in a post on Truth Social that he wants to abolish daylight saving time (DST). (AP Photo/Alex Brandon; iStock)
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the practice was a wartime measure to save energy during World War I and was first introduced in the Standard Time Act of 1918.
It was implemented again in 1942 during World War II to conserve fuel and “promote national security and defense.”
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The rule went unenforced for 20 years until Congress passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966, a federal mandate establishing daylight savings time.
eliminate confusion
Dr. Ernest Lee Murray Board certified neurologist Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in Jackson, Tennessee, supports President Trump's goal of eliminating DST.
“Honestly, it's about time. I'm not kidding,” he told FOX News Digital. “The historical reasons for DST no longer matter.”
“Honestly, it's about time, I'm not kidding.”
Murray said changing your clock twice a year can disrupt your sleep patterns, which is known to cause a variety of health-related problems.
“Most of the problems occur in the spring when we transition to daylight savings time (losing an hour of sleep),” he said.
Changing your clock twice a year can disrupt your sleep patterns and is known to cause a variety of health-related issues. (St. Petersburg)
Several studies have shown that this change leads to less sleep and increased daytime fatigue, the doctors noted.
“This often affects cognitive abilities and appears to slow down thought processing,” Murray added.
Mood problems, especially depression, have been shown to increase over time.
Some studies have shown that time changes reduce sleep time and increase daytime fatigue. (St. Petersburg)
“Several studies have also shown an increased risk of stroke in the first two to three days after the time switch,” Murray said.
“This correlates with circadian disruption and perhaps the overall stress it causes on the body.”
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Jonathan Alpert, a psychotherapist in Manhattan and Washington, D.C., agreed that eliminating daylight saving time could improve sleep quality.
“Sudden changes in time can disrupt sleep patterns, leading to poor sleep quality and fatigue,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Eliminating daylight saving time would allow people to maintain a consistent sleep schedule, which would alleviate some of the problems caused by poor sleep quality.”
One psychotherapist said that the time change makes patients more tired and less able to concentrate. (St. Petersburg)
Alpert said he notices the impact the time change has on his patients every spring and fall.
“My patients often become increasingly fatigued, have difficulty concentrating, and complain of increased stress,” he noted. “A stable time system could potentially reduce these effects.”
“Sudden changes in time can disrupt sleep patterns, leading to poor sleep quality and fatigue.”
“Ultimately, having a consistent time system in place can help people pay more attention and be more productive.”
Alpert pointed out that a consistent light-dark cycle is also important for regulating the body's circadian rhythm.
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“Daylight saving time disruptions are associated with increases in mood disorders, which is consistent with what I've seen in my practice,” he said.
Psychotherapists say accidents and workplace injuries could decline, as research shows they increase over time.
“Change of seasons”?
Alpert said that while there are potential benefits to eliminating DST, there may also be downsides.
One expert said, “The shorter evening hours of daylight could affect people's motivation to be active and socialize after work,'' adding that seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a winter-only disease. He pointed out that this was not a phenomenon. (St. Petersburg)
“Without daylight saving time, there would be fewer hours of evening sunlight in the spring and summer,” he told Fox News Digital. There may be fewer opportunities for activities.”
“I'm really concerned about how this will affect people, especially those who are prone to mood problems.”
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Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is not just a winter phenomenon, experts say.
“Decreased evening daylight hours can impact people's motivation to be active and socialize after work.”
“If there is change, people will adapt and adjust and ultimately thrive.”
And given how long most Americans have been adjusting their clocks, it could be “difficult or even disorienting” for people to adjust to no daylight saving time, Alpert said. “For many people, daylight savings time means a change of seasons,” he said.
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“My guess is that if the changes are made, there will be a backlash because the arguments for repealing them are just as strong as the arguments for keeping them,” Alpert said. I predicted it.
He added: “However, over time, if there is change, people will adapt and adjust and ultimately thrive.”
