If you’re a night owl, it’s likely not just a preference, it’s in your DNA. And those people, University of Michigan scientists say suffer the most from Daylight Saving Time switches.
For that reason, they say the bi-annual process should be snoozed permanently.
In a study that used more than 830 physicians as test subjects, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the scientists looked into how springing ahead and falling back affected them. What emerged was that those who were night owls needed more than a week to reset their sleep cycles after “springing ahead,” as compared to the few days it took the early birds to adapt.
The scientists used direct monitoring and even genetic testing to confirm their findings. Long story short, the experts say, the “cons” of Daylight Saving Time outweigh the “pros.”
“It’s already known that DST has effects on rates of heart attacks, motor vehicle accidents, and other incidents…” says neuroscientist and geneticist Margit Burmeister, Ph.D., in a university press release. “These data from [the new research] allows us to directly see the effect, and to see the differences between people with different circadian rhythm tendencies that are influenced by both genes and environment. To put it plainly, DST makes everything worse for no good reason.”