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Permanent standard time is the optimal choice for health and safety: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement

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Abstract

The period of the year from spring to fall, when clocks in most parts of the United States are set one hour ahead of standard time, is called daylight saving time, and its beginning and ending dates and times are set by federal law. The human biological clock is regulated by the timing of light and darkness, which then dictates sleep and wake rhythms. In daily life, the timing of exposure to light is generally linked to the social clock. When the solar clock is misaligned with the social clock, desynchronization occurs between the internal circadian rhythm and the social clock. The yearly change between standard time and daylight saving time introduces this misalignment, which has been associated with risks to physical and mental health and safety, as well as risks to public health. In 2020, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) published a position statement advocating for the elimination of seasonal time changes, suggesting that evidence best supports the adoption of year-round standard time. This updated statement cites new evidence and support for permanent standard time. It is the position of the AASM that the United States should eliminate seasonal time changes in favor of permanent standard time, which aligns best with human circadian biology. Evidence supports the distinct benefits of standard time for health and safety, while also underscoring the potential harms that result from seasonal time changes to and from daylight saving time.

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Abbreviations

AASM:

American Academy of Sleep Medicine

DST:

daylight saving time

ST:

standard time

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The AASM Public Safety Committee and Board of Directors thank Karin Johnson, MD, and Jay Pea for reviewing this statement and providing feedback and appreciate the AASM staff members who assisted with its development. This position statement has been endorsed by the following organizations: American Academy of Cardiovascular Sleep Medicine, American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, American Association of Sleep Technologists, American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST), American College of Lifestyle Medicine, American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, Dakota Sleep Society, Michigan Academy of Sleep Medicine, Montana Sleep Society, National PTA, National Safety Council, National Sleep Foundation, Sleep Research Society, Society for Research on Biological Rhythms, Society of Anesthesia and Sleep Medicine, Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine, Southern Sleep Society, and World Sleep Society. This position statement was endorsed by the American Thoracic Society on October 25, 2023.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

    Muhammad Adeel Rishi MD

  2. Eisai, Inc., Nutley, New Jersey, USA

    Jocelyn Y. Cheng MD

  3. Division of Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Wilmington, Delaware, USA

    Abigail R. Strang MD

  4. Department of Psychology, Elmhurst University, Elmhurst, Illinois, USA

    Kathy Sexton-Radek PhD

  5. Neurology Consultants Medical Group, Whittier, California, USA

    Gautam Ganguly MD, FAASM

  6. Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

    Amy Licis MD

  7. Fatigue Countermeasures Laboratory, Human Systems Integration Division, NASA Ames Research, Mountain View, USA

    Erin E. Flynn-Evans PhD, MPH

  8. Bronson ProHealth, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

    Michael W. Berneking MD, FAASM

  9. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Raj Bhui MD

  10. Sleep Disorders Center at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    Jennifer Creamer MD

  11. Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA

    Vaishnavi Kundel MD

  12. Wake Forest Baptist Health, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

    Andrew M. Namen MD, FAASM, FCCP

  13. Department of Neurology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA

    Andrew R. Spector MD

  14. Ascent Sleep & Weight Disorders Center, Sugarland, Texas, USA

    Olatunji Olaoye MD

  15. American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Darien, Illinois, USA

    Sarah D. Hashmi MBBS, MSc, MPH

  16. Sleep Medicine, Millennium Physician Group, Fort Myers, Florida, USA

    Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg MD

  17. Miller School of Medicine/Universisty of Miami UHealth Sleep Program, Miami, Florida, USA

    Alexandre Rocha Abreu MD

  18. Division of Sleep Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Indira Gurubhagavatula MD, MPH

  19. Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Indira Gurubhagavatula MD, MPH

  20. Division of Pulmonary Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

    Vishesh K. Kapur MD, MPH

  21. Sleep Medicine, Bothwell Regional Health Center, Sedalia, Missouri, USA

    David Kuhlmann MD

  22. Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Veteran Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, North Hills, California, USA

    Jennifer Martin PhD

  23. David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA

    Jennifer Martin PhD

  24. Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center for Sleep Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA

    Eric Olson MD

  25. Sleep Medicine Program, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Susheel Patil MD, PhD

  26. Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Susheel Patil MD, PhD

  27. Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    James A. Rowley MD

  28. University of Michigan Sleep Disorders Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

    Anita Shelgikar MD

  29. Emory Sleep Center and Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Lynn Marie Trotti MD, MSc

  30. Sleep Disorders Center, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

    Emerson M. Wickwire PhD

  31. Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

    Emerson M. Wickwire PhD

  32. Division of Pulmonary, Asthma, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, USA

    Shannon S. Sullivan MD

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Correspondence to Muhammad Adeel Rishi MD.

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Address correspondence to: Muhammad Adeel Rishi, MD, Indiana University School of Medicine, 340 West 10th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46077; Email: mrishi@iu.edu

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Rishi, M., Cheng, J., Strang, A. et al. Permanent standard time is the optimal choice for health and safety: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement. CLSM 20, 121–125 (2024). https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.10898

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