You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who would not value an extra hour in bed on Sunday morning, but the debate continues over the health effects.
Clocks go back one hour at 2 a.m. Sunday.
“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, at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
"The 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%."
Interestingly, a poll last month on BayToday titled Is it time to end Daylight Saving Time? showed the majority...81 per cent of 2,717 votes wanted to end the practice.
Sleepfoundation.org says "Humans and other mammals are guided by circadian rhythms, which are 24-hour cycles that regulate sleep and other key bodily functions such as appetite and mood. These rhythms are largely dependent on light exposure, synchronizing with natural light-darkness cycles to promote healthy, high-quality sleep.
"Transitioning twice a year between standard time and daylight saving time changes the hours when we are exposed to natural light. This can interfere with your sleep-wake cycle and may throw off your ability to feel alert in the morning and sleepy at night."
To many people, time shifts like this are no joke. The change can intensify pre-existing conditions like depression and anxiety.
"There seems to be more depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts around the time the clock changes both in March and in the fall," David Merrill, MD, an adult and geriatric psychiatrist, told Health.
"Although DST doesn't necessarily cause mental health conditions, such as depression or substance abuse, some evidence suggests it may exacerbate them," says the website.
While seasonal time changes have been associated with health complications like headaches and heart problems for humans, many owners of finicky pets may find them extra ornery when daylight time ends in the wee hours of Sunday morning.
See: End of daylight time affects pets' schedules too, animal care workers say
You might recall that a private members bill titled the "Time Amendment Act" passed at the Ontario legislature in December 2020, amending the Time Act to make the time now called daylight saving time the standard time year-round.
See: Ontario passes bill to move province permanently to daylight time
And: Time changes persist despite experts' consensus to end daylight time
Well, that effort has stalled. The bill will only come into force when neighbouring Quebec and New York State enact similar legislation. Neither have put forth any legislation related to Daylight Saving Time,
But things may be shifting, led by our neighbour Quebec.
Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette announced Tuesday, that the government is going to consult the public and listen to their opinions online on the possibility of abolishing the twice-yearly changing of the clocks.
“We want to hear from you on the question of time change in Quebec,” Jolin-Barrette told reporters at the provincial legislature in Quebec City.
“The time has come to question the relevance and the future of the time change in Quebec," Jolin-Barrette said.
The province hopes to hear how Quebecers deal with the twice-annual ritual, according to Jolin-Barrette. He noted the time change has a number of negative health effects, especially on children and teenagers. Don't hold your breath, however, as he didn't commit to any timeline for legislation.
As this weekend’s time change approaches, North Bay Fire & Emergency Services reminds residents to make another change that could save their lives – ‘Change the Batteries in your Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms.’
Landlords are required by law to install, maintain, and test alarms at least annually and whenever there is a change in tenancy. Failure to maintain smoke and CO alarms as well as tampering with or removing the batteries is a violation of the Ontario Fire Code and can result in a ticket for $360 or a fine of up to $50,000.
