Daylight Saving Time: Neurological and Neuropsychological Implications

Preferences for Daylight Saving Time meet fundamentals of human physiology: correlations in the 2018 Public Consultation by the European Commission

“…Our results challenge the frequent argument within the circadian community that the seasonal clock regulations bring a circadian misalignment during the DST period because the social clock is “artificially” out of sync with the sun clock(Johnson and Malow, 2022; Malow, 2022, 2023; Roenneberg et al ., 2019a). The misunderstanding here comes from the fact that the misalignment is associated with clock time and with mean solar time (noon).…”

“…DST transitions are usually associated to the longitude λ and the time zone offset Z . (Johnson and Malow, 2022; Roenneberg et al ., 2019a) After all, time zone designation is the modern way by which we express the reference of time. However, longitude and time zone offset only set the difference between noon and midday Z − λ/Ω, where Ω = 15 ° h −1 = 0.262 rad h −1 is Earth’s angular rotation speed.…”

“…Not surprisingly, it is the very same explanatory variable that gave rise to DST regulations in the early 20th century, whose primary goal was the alignment of work hours closer to sunrise (Harrison, 2013;Pollack, 1981;Willet, 1907). Therefore we highlight the role of human physiology and environmental conditions (latitude) in this issue, and challenge both the association of DST with longitude/time zones (Johnson and Malow, 2022;Roenneberg et al, 2019b) and the public policies that look for one-size-fits-all solutions.…”

Cambio de horario estacional y su impacto en la salud

“…El adelanto de horario social en primavera impone un esfuerzo extraordinario a la maquinaria circadiana para realizar el encarrilamiento al nuevo horario, que además del adelanto cotidiano de 10 minutos debe sumar otros 60 minutos, pero esta vez en oscuridad matutina. Parte de la población no lo logra en un tiempo breve, como ocurre a los sujetos con predilección espontánea de actividad vespertina, los denominados búhos, entre los cuales se encuentran la mayoría de los adolescentes y adultos jóvenes (12) .…”

Implications of Sleep Health Policy: Daylight Saving and School Start Times

“…The fall switch from DST to ST adds 1 hour of sleep time as clocks are set back and the switch to ST improves the social and circadian alignment. The spring change to DST results in 25 to 60 minutes of average sleep loss in the first days or weeks after the change, 7 but no average sleep is lost after the fall change to ST. However, evidence suggests that many people’s sleep patterns never fully adjust to the later sunrises and sunsets of DST, leading to chronic sleep loss.…”