Changing the clocks twice a year has a disruptive impact on people with insomnia, said a North Bay, Ont., man with the sleep disorder.
Ken Porter, who works with the Mood Disorders Society of Canada, said even gaining an extra hour when daylight time ends can disrupt his entire week.
“That one-hour difference can really make a difference in your ability to be productive.”
Porter said he’s had trouble sleeping as far as he can remember due to his anxiety and insomnia, and they feed into each other.
What’s worked for him is to practise good sleep hygiene, which includes going to bed at the same time every night and not using his cellphone right before he falls asleep.
But the two time changes every year “mess up” that good sleep hygiene, he said.
“It’s kind of like jet lag.”
The twice-a-year time change has long been contentious.
Liberal MP Marie-France Lalonde plans to table a private member’s bill that would examine a possible end to the time change. (The Canadian Press)
Proposals to stop time changes
In 2020, Ontario passed a bill that would make daylight time permanent; but the legislation is contingent on New York and Quebec also jumping on board, and has not yet been put into effect.
In early October, Ottawa Liberal MP Marie-France Lalonde said she would introduce legislation to end the time changes across Canada.
“Canadians will often engage in conversation and debates about why it is we change our clocks back and forward,” she told reporters on Parliament Hill.
“Today, I’m here to say the time has come to address time change.”
However, that will likely not happen before this Sunday, when clocks are set to fall back by an hour at 2 a.m., returning to standard time.
