Permanently adopting permanent standard time — as opposed to daylight saving time — would offer more health benefits for the public, the American Medical Association said Nov. 15.
In March, the Senate unanimously approved a bill to make daylight saving time permanent. Research shows the practice of shifting time twice a year has been linked to various risks, including adverse cardiovascular events, mood disorders and motor vehicle crashes.
"Eliminating the time changes in March and November would be a welcome change," AMA Trustee Alexander Ding, MD, said in a news release. "But research shows permanent daylight saving time overlooks potential health risks that can be avoided by establishing permanent standard time instead."
AMA is the latest healthcare organization, alongside groups such as the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, calling for federal lawmakers to reconsider its strategy to abandon time changes. Many sleep experts have said permanent standard time would align better with human circadian biology than permanent daylight savings time, according to AMA.
"Sleep experts are alarmed," Dr. Ding said. "Issues other than patient health are driving this debate. It's time that we wake up to the health implications of clock setting."