Albertans woke up last week without the egregious task of changing their clocks and without gaining an hour of sleep, but the long term effects of how permanent daylight time could impact sleep are largely unknown. A University of Alberta sleep disorder specialist says no time change could result in more stable sleep patterns. “When we switch our time to wake up by more than 30 minutes, then some people who are quite sensitive can experience what is called social jet lag, or something similar to when you travel across time zones, and it becomes harder for them to either fall asleep or to wake up in the morning, depending on which direction the change occurred in,” said Cheryl Laratta. However, the province moving to daylight time is another question. “It’s darker for longer in the morning and it’s lighter later at night,” explained Laratta. “A lot of people are quite light-sensitive and will find it easier to wake up when they are exposed to full spectrum light. So having that darkness in the morning can sometimes be a challenge.” The Canadian Sleep Society (CSS) says several national and international associations have recognized that daylight time imposes circadian misalignments while optimal alignment of the circadian clock is achieved with standard time. With permanent daylight time, Edmonton won’t see the sunrise until just before 10 a.m. around the winter solstice, with the sun setting around 5:30 p.m. “Canadian children, students and workers (will) have to wake up in the dark and get to school or work without proper daylight exposure,” said the CSS in a media release. “This challenges the key role of morning light for circadian alignment and sleep deficits.” The organization recommends the termination of daylight time and a move to permanent standard time. If daylight time should continue, the CSS recommends that time changes occur closer to equinoxes to be less disturbing to society with time changes implemented on Fridays, giving most citizens the weekend to adjust their sleep schedule. But with the provincial government making the change to permanent daylight time, despite Albertans narrowly voting against doing so in a 2021 referendum, reverting back is unlikely for the time being. For those struggling to rise in the morning, Laratta recommends using a seasonal affective disorder lamp, which mimics outdoor daylight, to assist in waking up. “It gives you more full spectrum light, and for some people, that might help them adjust to the new permanent daylight time,” said Laratta.
