Is daylight saving time bad for us?

This week parts of Australia are preparing to wind back their clocks to mark the ending of daylight saving time. For a long time the country has been divided about the positives and the negatives of changing the clocks twice a year. Norman and Tegan look into the health effects of this shift – from the impact on sleep to medical procedures and road accidents. References: Basic concepts and unique features of human circadian rhythms: implications for human health | Nutrition Reviews | Oxford Academic Are Daylight Saving Time Changes Bad for the Brain? | Cerebrovascular Disease | JAMA Neurology Daylight Saving Time and Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Meta-Analysis Daylight savings time transitions and risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: An interrupted time series analysis Embryo transfers performed during daylight savings time led to reduced live birth rates in older patients | Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics Daylight saving time as a potential public health intervention Does lowering evening rectal temperature to morning levels offset the diurnal variation in muscle force production?

An episode of the What's That Rash? podcast, hosted by Australian Broadcasting Corporation, titled "Is daylight saving time bad for us?" was published on April 1, 2025 and runs 20 minutes.

April 1, 2025 ·20m · What's That Rash?

Summary

This week parts of Australia are preparing to wind back their clocks to mark the ending of daylight saving time. For a long time the country has been divided about the positives and the negatives of changing the clocks twice a year. Norman and Tegan look into the health effects of this shift – from the impact on sleep to medical procedures and road accidents. References: Basic concepts and unique features of human circadian rhythms: implications for human health | Nutrition Reviews | Oxford Academic Are Daylight Saving Time Changes Bad for the Brain? | Cerebrovascular Disease | JAMA Neurology Daylight Saving Time and Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Meta-Analysis Daylight savings time transitions and risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: An interrupted time series analysis Embryo transfers performed during daylight savings time led to reduced live birth rates in older patients | Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics Daylight saving time as a potential public health intervention Does lowering evening rectal temperature to morning levels offset the diurnal variation in muscle force production?

Episode Description