When we change the clocks, we always complain about how it disrupts our lives. Most people prefer daylight savings time – more sunshine to do more things. However, the science behind circadian rhythms suggest that standard time is when our bodies prefer.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), in its formal position statement, has been explicit that permanent DST is not the answer. Harvard sleep medicine researcher Elizabeth Klerman argues similarly that making daylight saving time permanent “is a horrible idea that puts us forever on the wrong time zone.” And there are many others.
The reality appears to be that the biological clock simply does not catch up with DST, and the misalignment accumulates rather than resolving. While it doesn’t ‘feel’ as acute as when we have actual jet lag (as in, we don’t have the deep disorientation that we get following a long flight across many time zones), the misalignment operates via the same underlying mechanism. And it quietly stacks up, month over month.