American Academy of Sleep Medicine supports change to permanent standard time

Key takeaways:

• In a position statement, the AASM recommended the U.S. switch to permanent standard time.
• The organization based its position on evidence that supports the benefits of standard time on health, safety and biology.

In a position statement published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine has issued an updated recommendation that the United States shift to permanent standard time.

“In daily life, the timing of exposure to light is generally linked to the social clock. When the solar clock is misaligned with the social clock, desynchronization occurs between

the internal circadian rhythm and the social clock,” Muhammad Adeel Rishi, MD, lead study author, chair of the AASM Public Safety Committee and sleep medicine specialist at the Indiana University School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote.

“The yearly change between [standard time] and [daylight saving time] introduces this misalignment, which has been associated with risks to physical and mental health and safety, as well as risks to public health,” Rishi and colleagues wrote.

The AASM clarified its position that the U.S. should move to eliminate seasonal time changes and adopt year-round standard time (ST), which aligns best with human circadian biology.

The organization cited evidence that supported benefits of ST for health and safety with respect to sleep cycles, motor vehicle accidents as well as related injuries and fatalities, acute cardiological events while also underscoring the potential harms that result from seasonal time changes and the effect that altering light exposure does to circadian rhythms.

Support for the measure was endorsed by 20 other medical, scientific and advocacy organizations, including:

• National PTA
• National Safety Council
• National Sleep Foundation
• World Sleep Society
• American Academy of Cardiovascular Sleep Medicine

The AASM had issued a position statement 3 years ago that advocated for the elimination of the changes in and out of daylight saving time (DST) in early March and early November, due to evidence suggesting a switch to ST would be optimal for residents of the U.S. With mounting evidence in favor, organizations such as the National Sleep Foundation, Sleep Research Society, AMA and other professional societies backed that recommendation to optimize health and safety.

In 2022, the U.S. Senate passed a bill — known as the Sunshine Protection Act — that proposed year-round DST, which has yet to be approved by the House of Representatives. A similar move to year-round DST occurred in 1973 and was overwhelmingly unpopular with U.S. residents.

“Permanent standard time helps synchronize the body clock with the rising and setting of the sun,” AASM President James A. Rowley, MD, said in a related release. “This natural synchrony is optimal for healthy sleep, and sleep is essential for health, mood, performance and safety.”

Reference:

• New position statement supports permanent standard time. https://aasm.org/new-position-statement-supports-permanent-standard-time. Published Oct. 31, 2023. Accessed Nov. 2, 2023.