Let There be Light - But in the Morning or at Night? The Influence of Daylight Saving Time on Health Behaviors

Daylight saving time (DST) refers to the annual moving forward (Spring) and backward (Fall) of the clock by 1 hour. The effects of DST have been a growing topic of conversation in literature, legislation, and popular media. There are three primary perspectives in these perennial conversations: 1) keep DST ‘as is’; 2) make DST permanent; or 3) enact permanent standard time. Despite this debate, the fact remains that the number of daylight hours doesn’t change, with DST simply shifting the daylight hours more towards the morning or evening. DST has roots going back to 1918 where it was enacted for a short time and again a few times over the subsequent 50 years. In 1966, the Uniform Time Act standardized DST, with only Hawaii and Arizona not observing. While the original intent of DST was to save energy and to make better use of daylight hours, every March and November there is a national discussion that includes questions like: Do we really need DST? Do the reasons DST were enacted still apply today? What does current research say about how DST is impacting our health and overall well-being? If DST does have an impact on health, what can be done to make the DST transition easier? During this presentation, various concepts of adult learning theory will be used to engage our attendees in the interesting and dynamic interplay of DST and health behaviors. As most attendees experience DST changes twice-yearly, they will have their own lived experiences to reflect on throughout the presentation and discussion. This becomes even more salient as Fall DST 2024 occurs on November 3 – just a few days after the conference concludes – meaning some of the implications and practical tips shared from our group’s research might have real-world applicability for attendees following the conference. Further, it should be noted that attendee opinions about the future of DST are likely to span all 3 ‘sides’ of the DST debate, which should enhance conversations, questions, and discussions during the session. It is also noteworthy that, throughout the presentation, there will be live polls and planned discussion points to ensure maximum attendee involvement and the ability for attendees to have a life-centered orientation to the topic.