The change of hour on March 14 may have left you feeling a little off-balance, and it seems the effects of daylight savings in Quebec may continue to linger.
Various studies have found that the Monday after "spring forward" is one of the most dangerous days of the year as a result of the negative effects of the time change.
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Narcity Québec spoke with sociologist Valérie Harvey to find out more about the matter and why she is campaigning for the abolition of daylight saving time in Quebec.
What effects can time change have on an individual?
Harvey claims the "yo-yo game" of time change has repercussions on many Quebecers, and it's only worse now that we're in the middle of a pandemic.
"I have the impression that the time change will hurt us a little more. We're already tired, we're already stressed, we're not sleeping so well."
Then on top of this, we end up being robbed of an hour of sleep.
Losing an hour of sleep has proven to have many negative effects on an individual. "The consequences of a lack of sleep are numerous: fatigue, irritation, stress, headaches, stomach aches," Harvey said.
What are the health impacts of daylight savings?
It seems there are quite a few.
Researchers have discovered losing an hour of sleep may result in a higher number of fatal car accidents.
"There is a link in Canada between the spring time change and an 8% increase in the number of accidents on the road, due to the loss of sleep."
Studies from Colorado, Croatia and Sweden found that the number of heart attacks increases significantly during the week following the time change in the spring. This too is said to be due to a lack of sleep.
Should Quebec continue to follow daylight savings time?
Harvey told Narcity that, "Some researchers argue that standard time is better for the body. But others say it's the constant switching that causes the most accidents."
"I, for one, am in favour of stopping changing, regardless of what our governments decide to adopt as time."
An American study found that "28 fatal accidents could be prevented yearly if the DST transition was abolished."
In November 2020, Premier Legault said that his government doesn't "expect to change" anything anytime soon when it comes to the twice-yearly time change, but was "looking at the different scenarios."
