You do it only twice per year. But how often do you stay late up because of an event or whatever. And how often do you travel to another time zone, sometimes even >6 hours.
I think the latter effects outweigh the health impact of clock alignment significantly.
Your body has six months to get used to an hour difference, so it sets in nicely, for maximum impact 6 months later.
> But how often do you stay late up because of an event or whatever
Personally, not often at all, but I get the point. The time you're supposed to wake up doesn't change though, and that's what makes the difference.
> And how often do you travel to another time zone, sometimes even >6 hours
I can count how many times I've done that in my life on one hand, and I'm sure I'm not alone in Europe.
> I think the latter effects outweigh the health impact of clock alignment significantly.
Have to disagree. Like I said it's to do with having a set hour you're _supposed_ to wake up. Meal times are another big factor.
- Waking up before sunrise has a negative impact on health for some people
- Going to sleep before (or just after) sunset has a negative impact on health for some people
We do not all have the same sleep cycles. Early birds and night owls are a real thing, and any solution will be an improvement for some, and a degradation for others. Health-wise, I think the best solution would be to abolish office hours. Don't look at the clock, look at the sun, and let people work at different times. Of course, economically, it would be a mess.
So yeah, no good solution, only compromises. The most we can ask for is fairness. I don't know what is the most fair, but I think the current situation (with DST) is close, as it is what people have settled with.
But also during the year, you gain an hour of sleep. Studies show that heart attacks fall that day. People always discount this one.