<p>In March 2022, the U.S. Senate approved the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 (S 623), to make daylight saving time the new standard time across the nation. The Sleep Research Society (SRS) responded with a statement on the importance of Permanent Standard Time and the benefits it would have on the nation’s health. The U.S. House did not approve the legislation before its December expiration, though it was reintroduced in March 2023. <br><br><a href="https://sleepresearchsociety.org/about/advocacy/permanent-standard-time/" target="_blank">View the SRS Position Statement</a> and other resources.</p>
<h2><strong>Take Action!</strong></h2>
<p>Send a message to Congress asking them to oppose legislation establishing permanent daylight saving time that negatively impacts our sleep health, and instead, ask that they support efforts to restore permanent standard time, which best aligns with the internal body clock and is the healthy choice!&nbsp;</p>
<h2><strong>Additional Resources</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://sleepresearchsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/The-Biological-Clock-Sleep-and-the-Debate-about-Daylight-Saving-Time.pdf" target="_blank">SRS Public Education Paper</a>: The Biological Clock, Sleep, and the Debate about Daylight Saving Time</li>
<li><a href="https://sleepresearchsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/cpst-PERMANENT-STANDARD-TIME-talking-points-2024.pdf" target="_blank">Permanent Standard Time Talking Points</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li><a href="https://sleepresearchsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/CpST-STANDARD-TIME-Advocacy-Road-Map.pdf" target="_blank">Standard Time Advocate Roadmap</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<p></p>


I am writing to ask that you oppose legislation to establish permanent daylight saving time because it negatively impacts our sleep health. Instead, I ask that you support efforts to restore permanent standard time, which best aligns with the internal body clock and is the healthy choice.

As a member of the Sleep Research Society (SRS), I understand the critical role that sleep and circadian biology play in human health, safety, and performance. The SRS is a professional organization dedicated to advancing sleep and circadian research and translating scientific discoveries into improved public health. Its members include scientists, clinicians, and other professionals whose work informs evidence-based policy decisions related to sleep health and biological timing.

Current evidence supports the adoption of year-round standard time, which aligns best with human circadian biology and provides distinct benefits for public health and safety. This position is shared by more than 20 medical, scientific, and civic organizations, including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, American Academy of Neurology, American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, National PTA, National Safety Council, Sleep Research Society, Society for Research on Biological Rhythms, and World Sleep Society. In contrast, daylight saving time can cause misalignment between the biological clock and our environment, resulting in significant health and public safety-related consequences, especially in the days immediately following the annual change to daylight saving time. 

Moreover, Congress previously enacted legislation in 1974 to make daylight saving time permanent and repealed it less than a year later, after energy savings from daylight saving time appeared negligible and the dark mornings were very unpopular, especially among parents whose children had to travel to school in the dark.

As we "spring forward" into daylight saving time until the fall, I ask that you oppose any efforts to enact S.582/H.R.1279, the Sunshine Protection Act, which would implement daylight saving time year-round. Instead, Congress should work to enact legislation that eliminates the biannual time change and restores permanent standard time for the entire year.

Tell Congress to Support Standard Time!