Pros for getting rid of daylight savings

Boosted health

A number of studies have found that the number of heart attacks increases in the week after the clocks change, perhaps due to disrupted sleep. Research by the University of Michigan’s Frankel Cardiovascular Centre found that there was a 24% jump in the number of heart attacks occurring on the Monday after the spring clock change compared to other Mondays throughout the year. The study also found that there was a 21 per cent drop in the number of heart attacks the Tuesday after the clocks go back in autumn, when we gain an hour’s sleep.

Improved safety

According to research carried out in New Zealand, the changing of clocks leads to more road accidents. The start of daylight savings time, found the study, “is associated with significantly higher rates of road accidents” - a 16% increase on the first day and a 12% increase on the second day. The AA has said it sees the “road safety arguments in favour of changing the clocks so that there is less light in the morning and more in the evening”.

Increased life satisfaction

Life satisfaction deteriorates the week after the clocks go forward in spring, a study of people in the UK and Germany found. Researchers attributed this to “the reduction in the time endowment and the process of adjusting to the disruption in circadian rhythms”. There was no change noted after the clocks went back in autumn, when people gained an extra hour. Facebook backed this up with an analysis of the feelings used by Americans on their status updates in the week after the clocks went forward. It found “tired” was one of the most-used feelings, with a 25% increase in the usage on the Monday, when people returned to work.

Doesn’t impact energy efficiency

Daylight savings time was initially thought to lead to energy savings, as more hours of daylight meant we wouldn’t need to switch our lights on until much later. But modern life means there’s now no real energy saving done through changing the clocks - lights, laptops and more are in use all year round. In fact, a study in Indiana found that “DST increases residential electricity demand”, so getting rid of daylight savings wouldn’t make a difference to energy consumption.

Why the EU has vowed to stop changing the clocks twice a year