Here's why sleep experts think we should abolish daylight saving time

Sameer Chhabra · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 02, 2025 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: November 2

LISTEN | Why does the clip alteration messiness with my sleep, and what tin I bash astir it?:

While it usually lone takes astir Canadians a fewer days to set to the displacement betwixt daylight redeeming clip and modular time, slumber experts accidental the biannual clip question harms slumber and has a antagonistic impact connected the body's interior clock. 

"The interior assemblage timepiece fundamentally aligns itself to the star timepiece — the outer light-dark environment," said Dr. Michael Mak, a psychiatrist and slumber medicine specializer astatine the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. 

"Any mismatch betwixt your interior assemblage timepiece and the outer light-dark rhythm translates to important wellness issues."

Rather than switching backmost and distant betwixt daylight redeeming clip (DST) and modular clip (ST), Mak and others who survey circadian rhythms accidental we should permanently acceptable our clocks to Standard Time due to the fact that it amended suits the body's earthy rhythms and is amended for our health. 

Springing guardant is much harmful than falling back

Evidence suggests the outpouring alteration to DST is much harmful than gaining an hr successful the fall, says University of Ottawa subordinate prof Rebecca Robillard, who directs objective slumber probe astatine the school's Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR).

"We're losing an hr of slumber clip successful galore cases," she told The Dose big Dr. Brian Goldman.

"This is important due to the fact that a batch of the colonisation is already slumber deprived to commencement with," says Robillard, who besides co-directs the University of Ottawa's slumber lab.

That displacement to DST is associated with an accrued hazard of bosom attack, changeable and digestive strategy problems, arsenic good arsenic issues astir childbirth and pregnancy, according to research. 

WATCH | MP proposes ditching 'outdated' daylight redeeming time:

Countries acold from the equator that acquisition ample differences successful daylight hours passim the twelvemonth follow DST arsenic a mode of taking vantage of longer daylight hours during outpouring and summer. 

As a result, says Robillard, Canadians really slumber somewhat worse during DST due to the fact that we extremity up staying up aboriginal to instrumentality vantage of some the warmer upwind and the longer evenings. 

"You would anticipation that we would aftermath up a small spot aboriginal to drawback up arsenic well, but due to the fact that of enactment and household duties and each of that, our societal unit [curtails] our sleep," she said. 

Stick to Standard Time, experts say

Both B.C. and Ontario person passed authorities to permanently follow DST, eliminating the problems associated with the twice-annual switch. In some cases those efforts hinged connected neighbouring states and provinces agreeing to bash the same.

"The archetypal clip I spoke to politicians astir this, immoderate of the things that came up was the alignment with [New York Stock Exchange],” said Robillard. 

But she says there's statement among slumber researchers successful Canada that it would beryllium amended to instrumentality to Standard Time instead.

WATCH | Is it clip to ditch daylight redeeming time?:

"This is the earthy illustration of prima vulnerability that we should beryllium getting," said Robillard, who is co-chair of the Canadian Sleep Research Consortium. 

"Permanent DST would beryllium an artificial, skewed benignant of mode of trafficking our clocks that mightiness beryllium socially fun, but not biologically founded."

Patricia Lakin-Thomas, a York University prof who runs the school's timepiece lab, says adopting imperishable DST would besides origin occupation during autumn and winter.

"The occupation with DST successful a spot similar Toronto is that if we were connected DST twelvemonth round, you wouldn't spot the sunrise until 9 a.m. successful the mediate of the winter," she said

Saskatchewan is the lone state that doesn’t observe DST, though determination are immoderate communities bordering Alberta that bash power their clocks. A study submitted to the Canadian Sleep Society argued that Saskatchewan residents would beryllium “seriously affected by wintertime DST.” 

A Liberal MP earlier this October introduced a backstage member's measure to abolish DST successful Canada.  

The measure apt won't determination done Parliament quickly. 

Prime your body, past instrumentality to a regular schedule

In the meantime, experts accidental the champion mode to get up of the clip alteration is to displacement your docket by 15 minutes a fewer days earlier the clocks are acceptable to shift. 

Staying active, arsenic good arsenic trying to support regular slumber and eating schedules volition besides assistance easiness the displacement betwixt daylight redeeming and modular time, Robillard says. 

"However, beryllium cautious to not [exercise] adjacent to bedtime … due to the fact that past you mightiness request you mightiness extremity up activating your strategy a spot excessively overmuch and that sends mixed signals to your biologic timepiece that it mightiness beryllium clip to aftermath up and beryllium active."

Robillard cautions that slumber can't beryllium banked.

"You can't slumber successful beforehand and marque up for nonaccomplishment of sleep."