Springing forward again: Nevada's time-change fight stalls as health risks tick up

Ricardo Torres-Cortez, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Mar 5, 2026

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LAS VEGAS — Legislative proposals to sunset daylight saving time have come, stalled or gone away, and spring forward season is again upon Nevada.

That means later sunrises and sunsets, but it also means the need to adjust clocks — both external and internal.

The lost hour — when 2 a.m. Sunday will suddenly turn to 3 a.m. — can be detrimental to one’s health and even public safety, said UNLV professor Manoj Sharma. He’s a physician and award-winning educator with the university’s social and behavioral health and internal medicine departments.

“When you change the time, it disrupts the circadian rhythm,” said Sharma about the proper name given to internal clocks. It translates to altered sleep patterns that can lead to increased health risks, he added.

Sharma, who’s written hundreds of articles on the subject, cited studies that have researched cascading effects of the lost spring daylight saving hour.

They include social jet lag, productivity loss, an increased chance of accidents as well as effects to mental health and seasonal depression, he said. It takes bodies a few weeks to adjust to the change.

“Time changes on a Sunday lead to heart attack increases on Mondays,” said Sharma, adding that there are also reports of increased car crashes and workplace accidents.

People with medical equipment like insulin devices run a higher risk of messing up their medication schedules.

48 U.S. states enforce daylight saving

The idea of daylight saving time dates back to the late 19th century, but the practice didn’t begin until Germany implemented it during World War I, the Associated Press reported. The United States and others countries followed.

Hawaii and the majority of Arizona are the only two U.S. states that don’t participate, the AP noted.

Nevada’s “Lock the Clock Act,” Assembly Bill 81 in the Nevada Legislature, fizzled last year. Despite being a popular proposal, the effort has failed numerous times at the state and federal level.

Tips to deal with time change

A longtime advocate of leaving the clocks alone, Sharma provided tips to hamper the effects of the time change.

–A few days before Sunday, start adjusting your sleep schedule incrementally by going to bed 15 minutes earlier each day.

–Implement that change to other routines, such as breakfast and exercise.

–If you nap during the day, make it short and do it before 3 p.m.

–Spend 15 to 20 minutes in sunlight shortly after waking up.

–Artificial light therapy with 10,000 lux intensity can help people with sleeping disorders and seasonal depression.

–Other sleep hygiene practices: maintaining consistent sleep and wake up times, keeping bedrooms dark and avoiding screens for at least one hour before sleep also help.

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