Rockford Sun

This week marks the start of daylight saving time (DTS) — when there’s more daylight throughout the day.

There have been many efforts to stick to either standard time or daylight saving time.

“I think it's time we ‘lock the clock’ and end DTS,” Sen. Dave Syverson wrote on Facebook. “If Congress wants to do something that is actually meaningful, they should pass legislation to nationally end daylight saving time. What do you think?”

Arizona and Hawaii are two states that don’t follow DTS.

“There is clear evidence that going back and forth not only affects adults with [more] heart attacks and strokes but also affects our kids, particularly with teen sleep deprivation,” said Beth Ann Malow, a neurologist who serves as director of Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s sleep division, to the Washington Post.

Daylight saving time began on March 13 and many Americans lost an hour of sleep as the clocks moved forward an hour. DST will end on Nov. 6, when Americans will put the clocks back an hour for the winter.

Doctors have called for the end of DTS for years. In 2020, The American Academy of Sleep Medicine issued a position statement calling for the end of DST, in favor of a fixed year-round time for states across the country.

The Washington Post reported that Congress is weighing in on making a permanent decision on DST. The Post noted that the hearing was designed to gather information before Congress decides on any legislation on the matter.