The Price of Extra Sunlight

Every autumn, modern society dutifully performs its biannual ritual of turning the clocks back, a habit born out of wartime rationing that refuses to die. While politicians dither over whether to abolish the practice, medical research has already delivered a clear verdict on what should replace it. The debate is no longer merely about ending the twice-yearly disruption, but about choosing which permanent system will govern our daily lives without quietly undermining public health.

A recent scientific analysis led by Raymond Lam, professor of psychiatry at the University of British Columbia, points to permanent standard time as the vastly superior option for human biology. Eliminating clock changes solves the immediate shock to our systems, particularly the notoriously troublesome spring shift. However, as the research indicates, the long-term choice of baseline time shapes baseline health for decades. Standard time wins the debate because human internal clocks depend heavily on morning sunlight to stay properly synchronized with the twenty-four-hour day.

The alternative—permanent daylight saving time—remains popular precisely because it promises longer, sunlit summer evenings that benefit social gatherings, recreation, and retail spending. Yet this economic convenience comes at a distinct biological price. Adopting daylight saving time year-round pushes winter sunrises an hour later, forcing millions of workers and school children to travel in pitch darkness during the coldest months. Ralph Mistlberger, a professor of psychology at Simon Fraser University, emphasizes that this delays vital morning exposure at the exact time of year when natural light is already most scarce.

Our circadian rhythms naturally tend to run slow, relying on morning light to reset our alertness, support mood, and ensure quality sleep. Depriving the population of that early light creates chronic physiological misalignment. As Alexandra Choi, medical health officer at Vancouver Coastal Health, stated, time policy is a public health policy. If state authorities choose to prioritize evening leisure over morning light, they must be prepared to manage the predictable consequences—from hazardous morning commutes to worsening mental health trends.

Written by Christiane Hofreiter christiane.hofreiter@alpineweekly.com