Experts call for end to clocks changing due to impacts on health

You know the feeling. You wake up in the morning confused as your phone screen reads a time that says you should be raring to start your day, even though your body still feels exhausted.

The clocks changing twice a year leaves our minds and bodies confused, even though they're meant to make the transitions into longer, darker winter nights more bearable.

However, scientists are calling for the clocks to change back to standard time overnight on Sunday and stay that way.

New York-based clinical psychiatrist Yalda Safai told ABC News that: "Fixed national time is the best option as it most closely matches the human sleep-wake cycle,

"Any changes to the body's natural circadian rhythm has the potential to disrupt the natural functioning of the body."

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Currently the majority of the US has its clocks set forward one hour to increase the amount of light during the day. However, from Sunday November 5, the clocks will 'fall back' to standard time and leave us with more light in the mornings instead.

But, experts from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) have formed a coalition to advocate for state and federal legislation to make standard time a permanent adoption across the US.

This year-round standardised time is expect to help the body naturally align to the day-to-night rhythms without being thrown off twice a year.

Rebecca Robbins, PhD, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and scientist at Brigham and Women's Hospital told ABC News: "Having more light in the mornings is beneficial,

"Some positive evidence we've seen from switching to standard time is having more sunlight exposure so our children can safely walk and wait for the school bus. Morning sunlight exposure stops the floodgates of melatonin, our sleep hormone, and switches to the wake phase of our circadian rhythm. This is important for our brain to say we can start our day."

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However, our current shifting of the clocks are believed to have serious health repercussions, including an increased chance of heart attacks, strokes and abnormal heart rhythms. It also increases the chance of sleep disruption and mood disturbances.

Not to mention the fact that it's just simply irritating trying to remember which way to set the clock each year.

AASM describe the change as causing our bodies to develop chronic 'jet lag', as our innate clock and external environmental clocks just don't align.

"Sleep is essential for promoting cardiovascular and neurological health. Those who are sleep deprived experience headaches, brain fog, memory and concentration issues, and do not make good decisions for themselves because executive function is not at its best," says Dr. Leah Croll, a neurologist and assistant professor at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.

However, it's believed that many people detest the end of daylight saving and the darker days with longer nights take some adjusting to. These dark, cold periods of time are even known to seriously affect mood, with some developing Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) which can lead to depression.