Shelby Bradford in The Scientist:
As countries around the world begin to turn their clocks back an hour, some people may rejoice at the extra time in bed while others might mourn the loss of evening light. For many sleep and circadian rhythm biologists, the end of daylight saving time is an overall positive thing. In fact, many groups, including the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms, have petitioned governments to adopt permanent standard time to improve public health. “Basically, that’s because the body’s clock and social clock will match most closely under a standard time,” said Kevin Koronowksi, a chronobiologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and member of the Society for Research and Biological Rhythms. Koronowski studies the relationship between circadian rhythm and metabolism.
In humans, the circadian rhythm describes the organization of physiological processes that occur on a roughly 24 hour cycle, creating a biological clock. Although the body internally regulates the genes related to coordinating cells’ clocks, circadian rhythm synchronizes to the light-dark cycles of people’s external environment.1,2 For example, melatonin production increases as the day draws to a close, while cortisol levels rise in the morning.
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