Hamiltonians welcome extra sleep while experts suggest eliminating time change

Clocks went back one hour Sunday, sparking a familiar debate over whether to stop switching the clocks altogether and make either daylight time or standard time the permanent solution.

It is a difficult time of year for many, with the change affecting sleep habits.

People in Hamilton seem unaffected by the time change and happy to be getting that extra hour of sleep, but the popular opinion is that the change should be scrapped entirely.

“I think it should probably stop just because I don’t really know why we need it anymore, and it does mess up my sleep schedule when it’s spring forward,” said one resident. “I mean, I got one extra hour of sleep, so I really can’t complain.”

“It didn’t really affect me that much, but I do prefer the day being longer instead of the night,” noted another.

For others, the shift remains unwelcome.

“The time change is terrible. Yes, we did get an extra hour, but it screws up your internal clock,” said one resident.

“Just eliminate it, just eliminate it, there’s no need anymore,” added another.

York University expert Dr. Patricia Lakin-Thomas agrees that the change should be ditched, but says standard time should be permanent.

“The scientific consensus is that it’s better to be on standard time, year-round,” Lakin-Thomas said. “We know that changing the clocks twice a year is very disruptive for us, and it’s disruptive for our health as well.

“In the spring, we have an increase in car accidents, industrial accidents, heart attacks, strokes, that sort of thing. And in the fall, we don’t really have that because we’re going back into standard time. We’re getting more sleep. In the spring, we deprive ourselves of an hour of sleep, and we’re pushing ourselves away from our natural time.”

Quebec now says it plans to end clock changes by spring 2027.

However, Ontario is still waiting for both Quebec and New York to make the move.

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