Daylight saving time could have effects on sleep, mental health, economy

Since Manitobans will no longer change the clock back one hour in November, the effect on their sleep, mood, and work could lead to the government changing the clock to permanent Standard Time.

“Whether or not permanent daylight saving time (DST) as opposed to permanent Standard Time (ST), has sort of beneficial or detrimental impact on health, I think is somewhat less clear (when compared to seasonal clock changes). Permanent standard time has been endorsed by most national and international sleep societies, and I think even just from a physiological standpoint, it is much more aligned with your normal circadian rhythm, with earlier morning sun rather than later day sun,” said Dr. Daniel Altman from the Sleep Disorder Centre at Misericordia Hospital in Winnipeg.

Altman, who specializes in sleep medicine, respirology, and neuromuscular respirology, said some observational trials suggest that a shift to permanent DST leads to poor sleep quality, sleep duration, and can impact adolescents more than adults as they have a tendency to stay up later and sleep later.

According to a sleep study published this month in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, “the internal circadian clock generates and regulates people’s daily sleep–wake cycles and changes in alertness, performance, many cellular and physiologic functions, and behaviours, throughout the day.” As the clock is set internally through daylight cues, a later sun will delay the clock when it is time to wake up and time to sleep when DST is used.

The implementation of DST, waking up when it is dark and going to sleep when it is light, is a socially constructed clock that goes against biology, the report’s authors call this “social jet lag.”

“Observational studies have associated social jet lag with sleep restriction, poorer mental health, metabolic risk, and cognitive or functional impairment,” stated the report.

The study estimated that between one and three percent of people in Canada have seasonal affective disorder (SAD) during the winter with about 15 percent experiencing milder seasonal changes in mood. Those most affected by SAD are youth between the ages of 12 and 17. Researchers claim DST increases a person’s chances of getting SAD, as well as having higher incidents of shorter sleep, cardiovascular and metabolic problems, traffic risks, and cancer.

The report also cited U.S. and German studies which found similar results in that an hour of later sunset in permanent DST reduces weekly sleep by nearly an hour and earnings by about five percent. Alternatively, it increased retail activity and evening leisure activities.

People with flexible schedules and access to outdoor spaces are more likely to benefit from permanent DST economically, socially, and recreationally, while those who go to school, work, or use transit are more prone to harm during winter mornings; this disproportionally affects lower income people and minorities, according to the study.

Currently, the Yukon is on permanent DST, which it adopted in 2020, followed by British Columbia (March 2026), Alberta and the Northwest Territories (April 2026), and Manitoba. Saskatchewan has been on permanent Central Standard Time since 1966.

“Permanent daylight saving time has been attempted in a number of jurisdictions, often with very high approval before it goes into effect, and that the majority of those jurisdictions later reversed it because following the first winter, where people are experiencing much later sunrise, it tends to be much less popular,” said Altman.

Prior to Premier Wab Kinew proclaiming the end to seasonal time changes in September, the government conducted a survey of 72,000 people where 92 percent wanted to end the seasonal time change. About 58 percent voted for permanent DST, while 34 percent voted for permanent ST.

In July 2026, the United States House of Representatives passed a bill to enact permanent DST nationwide, which is currently before the Senate. The U.S. had tried permanent DST in 1974 and abandoned the change after about 10 months due to a public outcry regarding dangerous winter morning commutes. Russia switched to permanent DST in 2011 and reversed it in 2014. Chile did the same thing in 2015 with only its southern region maintaining permanent DST. Mexico, Japan, and South Korea all use permanent ST.

Altman said it’s hard to determine whether Manitoba will switch to permanent ST after experiencing permanent DST, but he acknowledged the precedent set by other nations.

“And so if you were taking a guess, if you were at Vegas and you were putting down chips, you know, that’s probably the most likely outcome,” he said, noting the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Thoracic Society also endorse permanent ST over permanent DST.