Is daylight saving time bad for our health?

BOSTON - Daylight saving time ends this weekend when our clocks will "fall back" one hour. 

Sleep experts argue ending daylight saving time altogether would be better for our health.

Daylight saving time begins in March and ends in November when we return to standard time, which may be more in line with our natural circadian rhythms. 

The Sleep Research Society says people are most vulnerable to sleep deprivation in March when we transition from standard time to daylight saving time to preserve sunlight in the evening hours. 

More light exposure in the evening can delay the production of melatonin. That can lead to sleep loss and associated obesity, stress, heart disease and depression.

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Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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