Spring forward, fall back. We all know what the phrase means. Early Sunday, we’ll set our clocks back one hour as Daylight Saving Time comes to an end.
There has been perennial debate about the advantages and disadvantages of the twice-a-year ritual. WBFO took to the the streets to talk with local residents and also reached out to an expert for insights.
Dr. Eric Ten Brock, a specialist in sleep medicine and a professor in the Department of Medicine at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, says research indicates that the changes in time can have a health impact.
“There have been studies that demonstrate increased risk of strokes and acute, acute myocardial infarction that day and the next day,” said Ten Brock.
The biannual time changes have also been liked to an increased risk of depression, mood changes and sleep deprivation.
"Over 40 percent of adults in this country are chronically sleep-deprived," Ten Brock said. "And to lose one more hour is sort of a stress test and can exacerbate that problem so that people are often more tired.”
Local resident Connie Ben believes Daylight Saving Time is an unnecessary relic from an earlier era.
“It was here when people farmed,” Ben said. “We still have farmers obviously, but I don’t think it serves any purpose other than it makes you tired all winter long.”
Latoya Griffin said the time changes are disorienting.
“Me and the kids, we do get confused,” she said.
But others see some value in Daylight Saving Time.
“For the workers, it takes an hour of time that they get in the sunlight that they can do something after work,” said Chris Canyu, a resident of Australia who was visiting Buffalo this past week.
On Wednesday, a special commission in Massachusetts came out against a plan that would have seen the state end the practice of moving clocks forward and backward each year. The panel advised against making Daylight Saving Time year-round unless other northeastern states take similar action.
Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday.
Terra Harter and Khalid Terrell contributed to this report.
