“The reason for this is that more sunlight in the morning promotes waking, and less light in the evening is less stimulating,” he said. “So as we prepare for sleep, fewer hours of sunshine in the evening can help promote the sleep process.”

Akingbola acknowledges that it can be sad to leave work or school when it’s already dark, but in the long run, standard time is the way to go.

Despite medical advice, there have been repeated calls in recent years to introduce daylight saving time permanently.

Sen. Mary Kiffmeyer, R-Big Lake, tried to pass a bill to make daylight saving time permanent as recently as 2021, but it did not pass the Legislature.

The US has tried it before. According to the Minnesota Star Tribune archives, in January 1974, President Richard Nixon passed a law requiring daylight saving time year-round due to an energy crisis.

A month later, the Minneapolis Tribune published an article saying there were calls to reverse the decision because there were more accidents in the predawn darkness, particularly involving schoolchildren waiting for the bus. Under Daylight Saving Time in January, sunrise in Minnesota wasn’t until well after 8 a.m.