New legislation in Illinois would end time changes for Daylight Saving Time

Daylight saving time begins this weekend, resulting in a lost hour of sleep Saturday night, but daylight will start lasting longer into the evening.

Clocks will shift forward an hour at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, but some state lawmakers are pushing to eventually end daylight saving time in Illinois.

At the Sleep Center at Rush University Medical Center, doctors said the proposed law to end daylight saving time would be better for our health.

Springing forward an hour for daylight saving time means one less hour of sleep on Saturday night, an hour that makes a real difference.

"There's clear evidence that changing our clocks every year is not good for our health," said Dr. James Rowley, program director of the Sleep Medicine Fellowship at Rush. "Increased risk of heart attacks, strokes. People are more likely to have a mood disturbance, like feeling sad or depressed. There's an increased risk of being hospitalized. There's an increased risk of motor vehicle accidents."

Rowley said to prepare for daylight saving time, people should go to bed early Friday night.

"There's also suggestions you should be resetting when you eat meals and everything," he said.

We've seen a lot proposed here, and across the country, over the years to do away with daylight saving time.

Most recently, newly proposed legislation in Springfield would do away with daylight saving time in Illinois. House Bill 5400 would exempt Illinois from changing clocks, but with a contingency. Ending daylight saving time in Illinois would happen only after Missouri and Iowa also choose to stop changing their clocks.

"We definitely need to do it," Rowley said. "This twice-a-year change is not good for our health. It's not good for societal health."

The new legislation would make a switch to permanent standard time.

Experts, including the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Illinois Sleep Society, said earlier sunsets are better for our bodies, and said ending daylight saving time is the right move.

"We need more darkness in the evening and more light in the morning to have a good night's sleep," Rowley said.

Tips to help manage the switch to daylight saving time:

• Try to go to bed a little bit earlier each night — Moving your bedtime up 15 minutes each night can help minimize how long it takes to adjust
• Adjust the timing of your daily routines —It can help to move up your workout or exercise class and adjust dinner time a little earlier at night. Those events are also circadian cues and adjusting them can help minimize the impact 
• Get bright light first thing in the morning — You may wake up before sunrise, but as soon as the sun comes up, try to eat breakfast in a well-lit area or take a walk outside to get sunlight exposure