#daylight-saving-time

#daylight-saving-time

On Sunday, October 26, clocks will again "fall back" one hour, ending Central European Summer Time (CEST), after having "sprung forward" an hour in March. What is daylight savings time (DST) and why is it used? Around 35% of countries currently adhere to the daylight savings time system, which was first instituted on a national level in 1916 in the German and the Austro-Hungarian Empires. DST saw broad international implementation in the 1970s as a means of saving energy after the oil crisis.

Winding clocks an hour back this fall, when daylight saving time ends for the year across much of the U.S., might do more than just disrupt sleep: evidence suggests such time changes could damage health in the long run. A new study published on Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA indicates that eliminating these repeated time shifts and keeping standard time permanently might help lower rates of obesity and stroke.

The spring transition appears to be a perfect storm of fatigue, impaired alertness, and risky driving conditions, with a 6% spike in fatal crashes.