Would you get rid of daylight saving time?

Autumnal leaves with a yellow clock reading ten o'clock

There are many reasons for and against abandoning daylight saving time. (Image credit: Carol Yepes via Getty Images)

Many countries observe daylight saving time (DST), in which clocks get pushed ahead one hour in March to gain more hours of daylight in the spring and summer. In the U.S., all but two states, Hawaii and Arizona (except for Navajo Nation) observe DST and thus are preparing to make the switch back to standard time on Sunday Nov. 2.

Not everyone is happy with this routine change, however, with recent surveys showing that 54% of Americans and 42% of Britons want to scrap DST altogether.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) favors permanent standard time because it is better aligned with our circadian rhythm, the body's internal clock. Because light exposure regulates the circadian rhythm, a mismatch between our body clock and the environment can lead to problems such as reduced sleep, higher heart rate and blood pressure, and impaired immune function, AASM representatives wrote in a position statement.

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Sophie is a U.K.-based staff writer at Live Science. She covers a wide range of topics, having previously reported on research spanning from bonobo communication to the first water in the universe. Her work has also appeared in outlets including New Scientist, The Observer and BBC Wildlife, and she was shortlisted for the Association of British Science Writers' 2025 "Newcomer of the Year" award for her freelance work at New Scientist. Before becoming a science journalist, she completed a doctorate in evolutionary anthropology from the University of Oxford, where she spent four years looking at why some chimps are better at using tools than others.

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