1 00:00:01,800 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:10,960 Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff, Learn Voga Bam. Here. There's a common 3 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:14,159 Speaker 1: consensus that changing the clocks back and forth twice a 4 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: year is annoying, and the U. S. Government decided to 5 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:22,079 Speaker 1: do something about it. On March fift the Senate unanimously 6 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:25,599 Speaker 1: passed a bill to make daylight savings time permanent across 7 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:28,640 Speaker 1: the country. As of this recording, the bill still needs 8 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: to pass in the House of Representatives and be signed 9 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:35,520 Speaker 1: by President Joe Biden. While this would eliminate the irritating 10 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:39,400 Speaker 1: aspect of changing clocks back and forth, many scientists, public 11 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 1: health experts, and members of the public are wondering whether 12 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:45,959 Speaker 1: it would be a good thing overall, and so today 13 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 1: let's look at the pros and cons. Okay, Daylight savings 14 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:53,920 Speaker 1: time is the practice of advancing the clock one hour 15 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 1: ahead of standard time in the spring and summer months 16 00:00:57,280 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 1: so that people get to experience more daylight in the 17 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,920 Speaker 1: evening during those months. In the United States, daylight savings 18 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:06,480 Speaker 1: time is observed between the second Sunday in March and 19 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:11,080 Speaker 1: the first Sunday in November. The policy seems simple. Most 20 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 1: clocks are fairly easy to adjust, but our bodies are 21 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:18,840 Speaker 1: more complicated than most clocks. For the article, this episode 22 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:21,760 Speaker 1: is based on How Stuff Works, spoke with Dr Elizabeth Klerman, 23 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:25,199 Speaker 1: a professor of neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard 24 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:29,760 Speaker 1: Medical School. She explained that humans have three different clocks 25 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 1: that our lives and bodies must adhere to. She said, 26 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:36,959 Speaker 1: one is local clock time, a social clock, what's on 27 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: your watch on your computer. The second is sun time, 28 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 1: when the sun goes up and when the sun goes down. 29 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:46,480 Speaker 1: And the third is biological time. It's what time of 30 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: day your body clock thinks it is. Our bodies naturally 31 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: follow sun time, not social time, and therefore, when we 32 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:58,920 Speaker 1: switch from standard time to daylight savings, we feel groggy 33 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: and tired. The implementation of daylight savings every year is 34 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:05,800 Speaker 1: like waking up one time zoned to the east. We 35 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 1: feel jet lagged. A. Klerman said, daylight savings time shifts 36 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 1: the social clock, but not the sun clock or the 37 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:17,959 Speaker 1: body clock. Statistics back up the problem of shifting between 38 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 1: the two. Report on cardiovascular events found that the Monday 39 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 1: following the shift to daylight savings is associated with a 40 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:30,440 Speaker 1: two increase in heart attacks, and a different study spanning 41 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:33,120 Speaker 1: thirty years of Australian data found that the rate of 42 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 1: suicides and men with bipolar disorders increased in the weeks 43 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 1: following daylight savings. Another study found that there are more 44 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:44,520 Speaker 1: workplace injuries and of a more severe nature on the 45 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:48,519 Speaker 1: mondays following the daylight savings shift, and yet another noted 46 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:51,880 Speaker 1: that in the seven days following time changes, safety related 47 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 1: incidents increased by four point two percent in the spring 48 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 1: and eight point eight percent in the fall. And another 49 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:01,839 Speaker 1: study showed that the risk of little car crashes increases 50 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:05,240 Speaker 1: by six percent in the days following daylight savings, though 51 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:10,320 Speaker 1: overall accidents during daylight savings time tend to decrease. The 52 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:13,680 Speaker 1: U s Department of Transportation cites three reasons for daylight 53 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 1: savings time, energy savings, prevention of traffic injuries and death, 54 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:23,120 Speaker 1: and crime reduction. All three have been studied before. In 55 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 1: two thousand and eight, the Department of Energy found that 56 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 1: the extra four weeks of daylight savings time, which were 57 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:31,119 Speaker 1: added in two thousand seven, had saved zero point five 58 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 1: percent in total electricity per day. This might not seem 59 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:37,760 Speaker 1: like much, but the Department of Energy noted that this 60 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:40,760 Speaker 1: came out to a savings of quote one point three 61 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 1: billion kilowatt hours, or the amount of electricity used by 62 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: more than a hundred thousand households for an entire year. 63 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:53,200 Speaker 1: However that number may be high. Review found the savings 64 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:56,760 Speaker 1: to be around zero point three though in the grand scheme, 65 00:03:56,880 --> 00:04:01,080 Speaker 1: still not shabby. As far as traffic it goes, some 66 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 1: studies have cited fewer fatal car crashes during daylight savings 67 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:07,560 Speaker 1: because of the extra daylight during the evening rush hour. 68 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:13,600 Speaker 1: Study found an eight drop in pedestrian related crashes and 69 00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:16,120 Speaker 1: a six to ten percent drop in car crashes in 70 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:20,719 Speaker 1: the weeks following the implementation of daylight savings. Regarding crime, 71 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 1: one study showed that robberies were reduced overall by seven 72 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:29,359 Speaker 1: percent during daylight savings time and by whopping during the 73 00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:34,080 Speaker 1: extra daylight in the evening. Businesses that operate outdoors may 74 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 1: benefit from permanent daylight savings time. For example, farmers or 75 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:41,720 Speaker 1: lawn workers who start work at eight am benefit during 76 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:45,920 Speaker 1: daylight savings from the slightly cooler morning temperature of standard 77 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 1: times seven am, and tourists looking to get the most 78 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:52,359 Speaker 1: out of their days may be encouraged by that extra 79 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:55,360 Speaker 1: hour of evening sunlight, giving the travel industry a boost. 80 00:04:56,760 --> 00:05:00,480 Speaker 1: But since the Senate passed that permanent Daylight Savings Time bill, 81 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:04,039 Speaker 1: several groups have come out against it, including the American 82 00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:07,360 Speaker 1: Academy of Sleep Medicine, the National Safety Council, and the 83 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:12,200 Speaker 1: National Parent Teacher Association. They say that permanent standard time 84 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:16,760 Speaker 1: is actually better for the body. The Clerman would agree. 85 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:20,200 Speaker 1: In twenty nineteen, she co authored a paper published in 86 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:23,640 Speaker 1: Frontiers and Physiology that laid out evidence of how daylight 87 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:28,559 Speaker 1: savings time harms our health. She said, the misconception people 88 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:31,839 Speaker 1: have is that there's more light. There's no more light, 89 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:35,280 Speaker 1: it's just shifted. If you're an evening person and there's 90 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:38,159 Speaker 1: more light at night, it will shift your body clock later. 91 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:41,320 Speaker 1: So it's going to make life worse for later people 92 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:44,200 Speaker 1: because they still have to wake up earlier for clock time. 93 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:47,360 Speaker 1: All those later people who like it are actually getting 94 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:51,640 Speaker 1: less sleep. The impacts aren't just happening in the week 95 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:56,240 Speaker 1: following the springtime change either, Clerman said, it's about what's 96 00:05:56,279 --> 00:06:00,360 Speaker 1: happening over the entire season. There's misalignment between the body 97 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:03,120 Speaker 1: clock and clock time because it's one time zone different. 98 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 1: There's also insufficient sleep. Both of those have shown to 99 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:11,800 Speaker 1: have adverse effects on performance, cardiovascular disease, errors, and accidents, 100 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:16,320 Speaker 1: and in a statement in one the board chair of 101 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:20,120 Speaker 1: the National Sleep Foundation, Dr Rick Bogan, said a switching 102 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:23,000 Speaker 1: to permanent standard time would better align our bodies to 103 00:06:23,200 --> 00:06:27,200 Speaker 1: daily sunrise and sunset, which influences the natural sleep wake 104 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:31,880 Speaker 1: cycles also called circadian rhythm. He pointed to a poll 105 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 1: showing that s Americans don't think they're sleep routines or 106 00:06:35,839 --> 00:06:40,120 Speaker 1: moods are affected by time changes, though they are. He continued, 107 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:43,800 Speaker 1: we're seeing gaps between what the public thinks and both 108 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:47,640 Speaker 1: published research and real world observations of the clock changes 109 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:52,240 Speaker 1: effects on health. The change to permanent daylight savings time 110 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:55,279 Speaker 1: in the United States has been tried before, the first 111 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:58,400 Speaker 1: time for several months during World War One. It was 112 00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:01,479 Speaker 1: adopted again during World War Two to conserve fuel and 113 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:05,880 Speaker 1: was officially known as war time. When polled, only seventeen 114 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:08,480 Speaker 1: percent of Americans wanted to stick with war time once 115 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:11,280 Speaker 1: the war was over, so it was stopped in nineteen five. 116 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:15,480 Speaker 1: The third instance was during the energy crisis between nineteen 117 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:18,880 Speaker 1: seventy four and nineteen seventy five. This time it was 118 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:22,440 Speaker 1: abandoned because children were tragically hit by vehicles during the 119 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:25,680 Speaker 1: dark morning hours while waiting for the school bus. In 120 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:28,400 Speaker 1: some states, the sun didn't rise until nine am during 121 00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 1: daylight savings time. After nine months of permanent daylight savings, 122 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 1: the government ended it. Where Americans stand on the issue 123 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:40,360 Speaker 1: today depends on which survey you look at. According to 124 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:45,080 Speaker 1: Associated Press poll, only percent of Americans liked to switch 125 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:49,720 Speaker 1: back and forth wanted permanent standard time, and thirty two 126 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:55,440 Speaker 1: percent wanted permanent daylight savings. However, in CBS News poll, 127 00:07:55,800 --> 00:08:00,840 Speaker 1: the leading preference was to switch, with permanent either coming 128 00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:08,640 Speaker 1: in about equal. Today's episode is based on the article 129 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:11,600 Speaker 1: should the US move to permanent daylight savings time? On 130 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:14,720 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com written by Alison Troutner. Brain 131 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:16,800 Speaker 1: Stuff is production of I heart Radio in partnership with 132 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:19,280 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com, and it's produced by Tyler Clang. 133 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:22,280 Speaker 1: Four more podcasts from my heart Radio visit the i 134 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:25,080 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 135 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:26,000 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.