Daylight savings warning for millions of Aussies ahead of clocks changing: 'Concerning'

Daylight saving time formally kicks off this weekend, and while many are excited about experiencing longer days, some experts say it comes at a cost.

A man walks from the surf at Bondi Beach in Sydney at sunrise, as experts warn Aussies of the potential health impacts of daylight saving time.
Australians are being told to catch up on their sleep in the lead-up to clocks moving forward an hour this weekend. Source: Getty

This Sunday formally marks the start of daylight savings time, with most Australians enjoying a few extra hours of sunlight each evening, in time for the warmer weather to sweep across the country.

While for many, daylight saving is synonymous with long summer days and the start of silly season, experts urge that there are some very serious impacts the time swap can have on our health, appetite, alertness — and even our pets.

Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Sydney University's Dr Yu Sun Bin said for many Australians, switching our clocks forward can feel like a case of bad jet lag. She said Australia may benefit from a more uniform approach to standard time, mirroring efforts in other countries.

"It's like having jet lag, in the sense that you might feel really tired, you're probably going to sleep less because we're putting the clocks one hour forward," Bin told Yahoo. "We know that reduces sleep time by about approximately 40 minutes overall.

"With people feeling more tired, that's where we see concerning effects — increased risk of heart attacks and strokes and possible car accidents."

A woman sleeps soundly in bed, as experts warn Aussies of the potential health impacts of daylight saving time.
Experts warn there can be significant impacts on health after reverting to daylight saving time, ranging from drowsiness to increased risk of cardiac arrest. Source: Getty

Internationally, there have been campaigns by sleep and circadian scientists for governments to get rid of daylight saving and instead adopt a permanent time that is in line with circadian rhythms. However, we have not yet had those serious conversations yet here, Bin added.

"We want to adopt the time that is closest to what the sun is saying," Bin said. "When the sun is directly overhead, that should really be noon at your particular location or latitude — that would be ideal, because, the body clock and circadian rhythms and all of our physiology is basically dictated by the cycle of night and day.

"But it's a public health conversation and needs to involve many different people to see what they think the costs and benefits of switching, or not switching are."

Sydney University's Dr Emiliana Tonini echoed much of Bin's sentiment.

"Humans were designed to sleep at night when it’s dark and to be active and alert when the sun is out. With daylight saving, clocks move forward, giving us longer evening light but darker mornings," she said.

"That shift disrupts circadian rhythms and can lead to misalignment of our body clock with natural light-dark cycles. For example, more light in the evening can delay sleep and morning darkness can affect exercise and alertness"

Circadian disruption is associated with a lot of different health problems, Tonini reiterated, such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic presentations, and mental health conditions.

"The potential negative impact of daylight saving must be considered carefully, especially in populations that are already more susceptible to circadian disruption, such as teenagers or shift workers," she said.

Companion animals may be impacted by daylight saving, with dogs in particular sensitive to routine changes. While most cope with the changes fine, adjustments to the schedules we impose on them, such as feeding, exercise and bedtimes, may make some animals anxious.

In NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and the ACT, Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) will kick in from 2.00am on October 6 — this Sunday morning — when clocks jump forward to 3.00am, and people in those jurisdictions lose an hour's sleep.

Early morning commuters may find themselves setting off in the dark for the first couple of weeks until the days continue to get longer and the sun rises earlier as we head into summer.

While these days, most devices — including phones, computers and cars — will automatically adjust, if you're one of the many who use an analogue clock, or do not own a smart phone, you'll want to make sure you're across the changes or face a potentially embarrassing mix-up.

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