The Manitoba government has announced that the province will remain on Daylight Saving Time (DST) year-round, ending the seasonal change between Daylight Saving Time and Standard Time.
The change brings an end to the twice-yearly clock adjustment that has been part of life in Manitoba for decades. For two St. Boniface Hospital Research scientists, it also brings renewed attention to the science behind how we keep time and its relationship to human health.
Dr. Inna Rabinovich-Nikitin and Dr. Lorrie Kirshenbaum are University of Manitoba professors and principal investigators at St. Boniface Hospital Research. Their research has examined the relationship between circadian rhythms, cardiovascular health and the effects of changes to our biological clocks.
Their labs study the link between circadian rhythm and cardiovascular health. Their work has also examined how the circadian clock regulates important processes in the heart, including the heart’s ability to respond to stress and the survival of heart cells following a heart attack.
In 2023, St. Boniface Hospital Research highlighted their research in an article calling for an end to the seasonal time change.
While the Manitoba government has chosen to maintain Daylight Saving Time year-round, the researchers’ work highlights an important distinction between ending the clock change and choosing which time to maintain.
Standard Time better aligns social schedules with natural daylight, particularly in the morning. Permanent Daylight Saving Time, meanwhile, results in later sunrises during the winter months. The researchers emphasize that eliminating the twice-yearly disruption of changing clocks is an important step. Their concern is that maintaining Daylight Saving Time year-round may create a different type of mismatch between our social schedules and the body’s natural circadian rhythm.
“Ending the twice-yearly clock change is an important step because our biological clocks do not adjust as easily as the clocks on our walls. However, the choice of permanent time also matters. From a circadian and health perspective, Standard Time is better aligned with the natural light-dark cycle, particularly by providing earlier morning light during the winter. Permanent Daylight Saving Time would result in much later winter sunrises and greater misalignment with our biological clocks,” said Dr. Rabinovich-Nikitin.
The Canadian Society for Chronobiology has likewise called for permanent Standard Time, citing the importance of aligning the timing of daily activities with natural light and the potential health and safety effects associated with disruption to circadian rhythms.
“I’m pleased that the government has decided to eliminate the spring and fall time changes. Although standard time would align more closely with our biological clocks, maintaining one consistent time throughout the year will benefit our lifestyle, said Dr. Kirshenbaum.”
While the researchers continue to support permanent Standard Time, they welcome Manitoba’s decision to end the twice-yearly clock change and the disruption it causes to our daily lives and biological rhythms.
Related:
ICS researchers call to end Daylight Savings Time
Canadian Society for Chronobiology official statements