About this episode

Dr. Seema Khosla discusses daylight saving time legislation and its implications for sleep medicine with Dr. Karin Johnson.

In this episode of Talking Sleep, host Dr. Seema Khosla welcomes Dr. Karin Johnson, Professor of Neurology at UMass Chan School of Medicine–Baystate and expert on circadian rhythm policy, to discuss two competing legislative bills addressing permanent time change in the United States. Two bills currently before Congress present starkly different solutions: the Sunshine Protection Act for permanent daylight saving time and the Sunshine for Our Kids Act for permanent standard time. Both campaigns use compelling language that makes their position sound obvious, complicating decisions for policymakers and clinicians alike. Dr. Johnson reviews the AASM's official position on daylight saving time and what research reveals about time change effects—both short-term consequences of bi-annual clock transitions and long-term health impacts of permanent DST, particularly on adolescent mental health and circadian rhythm disruption. She explains what happened during the 1974 experiment with year-round daylight saving time and why that experience remains relevant today. The conversation details both the Sunshine Protection Act and the Sunshine for Our Kids Act, including their legislative…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Seema Khosla

Guest: Dr. Karin Johnson

Topics covered

• daylight saving time
• circadian rhythm
• legislation
• sleep medicine
• health impacts
• advocacy

Keywords

• daylight saving time
• circadian rhythm
• Sunshine Protection Act
• Sunshine for Our Kids Act
• sleep medicine
• health impacts
• advocacy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: UMass Chan School of Medicine–Baystate, AASM, Sunshine Protection Act, Sunshine for Our Kids Act

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