Assessing the best hour to start the day: an appraisal of seasonal daylight saving time

Abstract

We provide an evidence-based position on the seasonal regulation of clocks daylight saving time (DST) that challenges position papers by sleep associations against the practice. We review the acute, short-term impact and the chronic, long-term impact of DST in the context of the changing ambient light conditions that characterize seasons at Extratropical latitudes. We highlight the association between DST, human physiology (photoreceptive mechanisms) and human daily life. We offer a perspective on the possible scenarios should clock regulations be abandoned.