The writer is a science commentator

In the UK, it is nearly time for the March magic of “springing forward”, when the clocks skip ahead an hour and the endless winter nights give way to the promise of long, light-filled summer evenings. Daylight Saving Time began last week in most states in the US and British Summer Time will come into force at the end of this month.

Many researchers, however, regard the stark time shift as misguided rather than magical. Not only do we lose an hour of sleep, leaving us more prone to the mishaps that beset the fatigued, but it messes long-term with the light cues that regulate our body clocks. It deprives us of the morning light that gets us going and bathes us in extended evening light, which disrupts sleep.