Time change, sleep disruption and recent studies on sleep
Members of the media may directly contact the following experts:
Stuart Fogel (English only)
Full Professor, School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, and Director, Sleep Research Laboratory.
Professor Fogel’s research interests include cognitive neuroscience, sleep and sleep disorders, and mental health and society.
“Our work shows that it is not a question of whether DST or standard time is better or worse, but that the time change, the resulting change in our sleep schedules and the associated sleep loss can impair vigilance, performance and our brain's ability to process information - this can put us at risk for accidents and injury, particularly when driving a motor vehicle.”
In a recent study entitled “Sleep selectively and durably enhances memory for the sequence of real-world experiences, ” Professor Fogel explains that "sleep is known to promote the strengthening and improvement of various types of long-term memory, but its role in improving memory for episodic experiences in the real world is less clear. In this study, we show that a period of sleep selectively and durably enhances moment-by-moment experiences rather than the content of our memories, and that the peaks of brain activity that define sleep actively promote this memory enhancement."
Karianne Dion (French and English)
PhD Candidate, School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences
Dr. Dion's main clinical interests are sleep disorders, depression, trauma, and sexuality. Her research focuses on the relationship between insomnia and mental health.
In her latest study, entitled “Sleep, Health Care–Seeking Behaviors, and Perceptions Associated With the Use of Sleep Wearables in Canada: Results From a Nationally Representative Survey, ” Dion confirms that "based on a nationally representative survey of 1,200 Canadians, our study found that one in five reported using a wearable device (e.g., watch, ring) to monitor their sleep, with most perceiving a positive impact on their sleep. The findings also identified key predictors of sleep-monitoring, including sleep and mental health disorders, and revealed significant differences between wearable users and non-users in their sleep patterns and sleep-related healthcare use."
Joseph De Koninck(English and French)
Professor Emeritus, School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences
Professor De Koninck is an expert on neuroscience, including sleep and psychological adaptation.
“The time change should be abolished in favor of permanent standard time, as it disrupts our biological clock, is detrimental to health, and its original benefits are no longer relevant or supported by the population.”
Jean-Philippe Chaput (English and French)
Full Professor, Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine
Dr. Chaput is a Senior Scientist with the Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group at the CHEO Research Institute and a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Ottawa. His research focuses on health promotion, and lifestyle behaviour modification (e.g., improving sleep, increasing physical activity, reducing screen time, and eating better).
"Shifting the clocks forward or backward may seem minor, but even a one-hour change can disrupt sleep patterns, increase fatigue, and temporarily raise the risk of heart attacks and accidents."
Rebecca Robillard (English and French)
Ottawa Academic Health Network University Research Chair (OAHN-URC) in Sleep and Mental Health, Professor of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, and member of The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health
Professor Robillard's expertise in psychology and sleep research makes her uniquely qualified to discuss the impacts of time change and sleep disruption on mental health and well-being.
"Time change is not just about loosing or gaining an hour of sleep, it disrupts the delicate alignment between our biological clock system and the natural time set by the sun. The scientific evidence suggests that we should abolish this obsolete practice and keep permanent standard time."
Kathleen Biard (English and French)
Part Time Professor, Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences
Professor Biard's research relates to Sleep, Arousal and Chronobiological Modulation.
"Forcing society to shift its circadian rhythm by an hour every six months is ridiculous, so we should pick a time and stick with it."
Tetyana Kendzerska (English only)
Associate Professor, Division of Respirology, Faculty of Medicine
Dr. Kendzerska research interests include epidemiology of sleep apnea, particularly relationship between sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease, mortality, diabetes, depression and cancer, adherence with continuous positive airway pressure treatment, survival analyses, predictive model development and measurement of patient related outcomes.
“As a scientist, I strongly support the initiative to bring together provinces and territories to discuss the issue of time change in Canada. I would be glad to contribute by helping to summarize and interpret the growing body of scientific evidence on the health and societal effects of biannual time change, as well as the potential consequences of adopting a permanent Standard Time versus an Advanced Time (also known as Daylight Saving Time). As a clinician, I see every day how disrupted sleep and circadian misalignment affect my patients’ health, mood, and daily functioning. Ensuring that policy decisions are informed by sound evidence will ultimately help people sleep better at night and function better during the day.”
Ashley Nixon (English and French)
Adjunct professor, Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences
Professor Nixon's research focuses on sleep, psychology, and well-being.
“Switching between daylight saving time and standard time has significant negative health effects and deciding which to adopt permanently is a question of what we prioritize. Permanent standard time is the healthy choice.”