With another time change around the corner, we present 10 reasons to end the bi-annual practice

March is around the corner, which means we’ll be “springing ahead” again and setting our clocks forward by one hour.

Yes, that no longer necessary event to balance out November’s “falling back” for daylight savings time is upon us again.

Hopefully, if all goes well south of the border, this will be the last time Ontarians need to put up with the lack of sleep and disorientation of this ridiculous practice.

You may be wondering about the time in 2020 when the provincial government passed legislation to end daylight savings time. Meanwhile, other provinces are getting on board, with British Columbia also moving towards ending the practice.

Well, that happened in the form of the Time Amendment Act, but due to a variety of obstacles regarding time zones, business and likely air travel organization, we need Quebec and New York State to be on board also.

To Quebec’s credit, their government has gone on the record stating as long as our US neighbours are on board, they’re happy to scrap the whole time changing twice a year fiasco.

That could happen as soon as this year, with several individual states on the west coast as well as the U.S. federal government on board to do so. All that’s left at this point is passing the bill through the house of representatives so that President Joe Biden can sign off and make it official.

Of course, it’s bureaucracy and big government, so we shouldn’t hold our breaths.

In case anyone reading this needs convincing this is a good idea – or points to make to someone who does – here is our Top Ten reasons to end daylight savings time.

1. Safety. There are more injuries and car accidents in the week following the switch as sleep patterns are negatively impacted, causing slight disorientation like jetlag, and response times are slower.
2. Heart Attacks and Strokes. Studies have shown a rise in cardiovascular disease, the week after the change to DST, with a 24% increased risk of heart attacks. Meanwhile, the stroke rate increases by an estimated 8%.
3. Depression. As your body keeps switching times throughout the year, it suffers from the lack of consistency and the chemical imbalances can lead to depression.
4. Slowed Metabolism and Weight Gain. More and more we know that a major part of being healthy is getting proper rest. This is definitely altered by time changes, leading to metabolic and weight gain issues.
5. Headaches. Again, the disorientation and jetlag effects of time changes can cause physical issues.
6. Cognitive issues. It seems like time changes have a negative impact on daily life and health in general, which they do. Obviously, cognitive abilities can suffer as well.
7. Daylight savings time is a relic from a bygone era. Originally started in the early 1900s during World War I to save energy during the spring and summer, it’s no longer needed in today’s society.
8. The presumed economic and energy savings aren’t real. The theory has been debunked several times.
9. Nobody wants it anymore (or at least very, very, very few people who are likely out of touch with reality). Most of us have wanted to end the time change practice for years.
10. It makes no sense. See all the reasons listed above. And I’m sure if we tried hard, we could come up with more.

Let’s hope the U.S. moves quickly on this issue so this is the last year we ever must participate in the ridiculous practice of changing our clocks twice a year.

Learn more about this at CentreforBrainHealth.ca, Northwestern Medicine, and WebMD.

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