How permanent standard time could save lives, explained by a sleep expert

It’s been a few weeks since most of the United States and Canada switched from daylight saving to standard time — a move that sparks annual debate about whether we, like some countries, and states, should pick one time just stick with it.

In March, the U.S. Senate agreed by approving the Sunshine Protection Act. Its goal is to make daylight saving time permanent in 2023. Of course, it still has to go to the House and the president would have to put his stamp on it. But there is agreement that shifting to one time would add productivity, prevent accidents and even ward off illness.

There’s just one thing: Some sleep experts say we’re about to settle on the wrong time — and that standard time is the gold standard.

Charles Czeisler is chief of the Division of Sleep And Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. He joins host Celeste Headlee to talk time.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org. [Copyright 2022 NPR]