The British Columbia government recently announced the province will adopt permanent daylight saving time (DST). It framed the decision as a way to improve health, reduce disruptions, simplify scheduling and provide more evening daylight.
The adoption of permanent DST raises significant concerns about social jetlag and long-term health impacts. Scientific evidence indicates that permanent DST results in a chronic mismatch between people’s daily clock-based schedules and their internal biological clock.
This mismatch is known as social jetlag, results in sleep deprivation and negatively impacts health, as detailed by the Canadian Sleep Society, Canadian Society for Chronobiology, Canadian Sleep Research Consortium and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
As nurses conducting pediatric sleep research, our focus is on promoting adequate sleep for children, adolescents and their families. We are particularly concerned about the effect of permanent DST on adolescents’ sleep because they already experience social jetlag.
Circadian rhythm
B.C. Premier David Eby speaks during a news conference following the throne speech at the legislature in Victoria in February 2026.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
Our internal body clock uses morning light to help us “reset” our circadian rhythm. Light helps regulate our internal body functions, such as digestion, metabolism, hormone regulation and mood. This daily light reset helps people synchronize their biological clocks with the sun.
Canada’s northern latitude gives Canadians a morning dose of daylight in the summer months. The switch back to standard time in the fall provides some morning daylight as the days shorten. That will not occur with permanent DST, which — unlike maintaining standard time all year round — maintains the artificial one-hour time switch of DST permanently.
DST changes the clock time without changing sun time, so circadian rhythms are not synchronized with school and work obligations, resulting in social jetlag. Social jetlag increases the risk of smoking, higher alcohol and caffeine consumption, and a higher incidence of mental health problems. It also increases risk for obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular problems.
One in three Canadian adolescents do not get the recommended eight to 10 hours of sleep per night. Recent estimates suggest more than half of teens do not get enough sleep.
Social jetlag is already common in adolescents, who experience a “perfect storm” for sleep deprivation. This perfect storm is caused by biological (such as hormonal) and psycho-social shifts towards later bedtimes and wake times. Social jetlag occurs because they have to get up for school on weekdays. Layering permanent DST on already existing social jetlag will likely worsen the perfect storm for adolescent sleep deprivation.
The severity of adolescent’s sleep deprivation and social jetlag is shown by the difference in the amount and timing of sleep they get on weekdays (when they have to get up for school or work) compared to weekends (when many people can sleep in). On average, Canadian adolescents sleep about one hour more on weekends than weekdays, with larger differences observed for female adolescents and those who identified beyond a gender binary.