As permanent Daylight Saving Time bill advances, should Washington push for Standard Time instead?
Mar 18, 2022, 11:38 AM
A new bill would seek to end Washington's twice-yearly time changes. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)
The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a bill this week to keep the nation in Daylight Saving Time year-round. But should the focus be on enacting permanent Standard Time instead?
Washington looks for ‘alternative’ paths to end years-long wait for permanent DST
Proponents of ending time changes have pointed to a series of benefits, including reduced crime rates, fewer vehicular accidents, and better overall health. That’s seen at least 15 states passing similar Daylight Saving Time laws over the last two years.
Those arguing in favor of staying in Daylight Saving Time point to later sunsets, allowing for more outdoor activity after work and school hours. Others within the scientific community, though, argue that year-round Standard Time actually carries far more advantages.
“If you’re living on the eastern edge of a time zone, your body clock is going to be aligned with the sun clock than if you live on the western edge of a time zone,” UW Medicine Sleep Center Director Dr. Nathaniel Watson said in 2019. “What we know is that people who live on the western edge of time zones actually have more disease and increased mortality.”
“Daylight Saving Time does the exact same thing to the human body, and that’s why I think it’s bad, and that we should be on Standard Time like Arizona and Hawaii,” he continued. “We know stroke risk increases 8% following the spring forward, heart attacks increase 10%. There’s no real good reason for us from a human health standpoint to have Daylight Saving Time.”
Congress pushes for analysis on Daylight Saving Time
During the testimony for a failed bill earlier this year that would have kept Washington in Standard Time year-round, “Save Standard Time” founder Jay Pea provided some additional insight.
“(Standard time) is the natural time defined by the sun,” he noted. “It’s best for our sleep and our health, safety, endocrinology, our cardiology, psychology, metabolism, it’s even good for the economy and environment. It would keep your sunrises before 8 in the morning so you’re not sending people to school and work in the dark.”
For the time being, the permanent Daylight Saving Time bill passed by the Senate still needs approval in the U.S. House (as well as President Biden’s signature), and appears to have broad support in Congress.
