Feeling a bit behind? Set your clocks ahead
A majority of Canadians will be adjusting their clocks this weekend as daylight saving time is set for its yearly comeback.
Although some places in the country have opted out of seasonal time changes, Torontonians should have set their clocks forward by an hour on Sunday at 2 a.m.
The practice has its pros and cons. On one hand, we lose an hour of sleep as the clocks are moved forward. On the other, we will have more time to enjoy the sun.
Most computers and Wi-Fi devices will automatically make the switch, but most home appliances, analog clocks and watches will not — so keep that in mind.
Nine of the country’s 10 provinces and two of its three territories observe daylight saving time.
Yukon ended seasonal time changes in 2020 and remains on Pacific Daylight Saving Time throughout the year. Most of Saskatchewan also keeps the clocks the same year-round, under permanent Central Standard Time.
Additionally, some communities in British Columbia, Nunavut, Ontario and Quebec do not follow the time change.
Ontario tried to abolish the practice in 2020 by passing Bill 214, the Time Amendment Act, but it will only come into effect if Quebec and New York state make the switch as well.
Daylight saving time was initially implemented as an emergency wartime measure during both world wars as a way to curb the use of energy and fuel.
According to Dr. Mark Boulos, a staff neurologist and medical lead at Sunnybrook Hospital’s sleep laboratories, the best thing to do when the time changes is get to bed an hour earlier.
“The whole idea is to preserve your sleep, the duration and quality of your sleep, as much as you physically can,” Boulos said.
Clock changes have been linked to measurable effects on our health, from an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes to diabetes, mood and mental health disorders, elevated inflammatory and stress markers, hospital admissions and more.
That being said, an hour’s time change might feel like a “nuisance more than a huge impact” for most, unless they have frequently disrupted sleep routines, according to Eva Libman, a clinical psychologist and co-director of the Behavioural Psychotherapy & Research Unit at Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital.