Daylight Saving Time Clock Changes Raise Heart Attack and Depression Risks Through Circadian Gene Disruption

Takahashi's lab identified the mammalian CLOCK gene in 1997, showing how mutations desynchronize metabolic and cognitive rhythms; this mechanism explains why abrupt light changes trigger cellular stress, sleep fragmentation, and memory deficits across all tissues. The 2016 sleep-gene screen with Yanagisawa further demonstrated that non-REM sleep duration is genetically regulated, making populations already short on sleep—such as shift workers and adolescents—especially vulnerable to the added misalignment from DST transitions. Observational data cited in the piece capture acute cardiovascular spikes but leave open whether permanent standard time would produce lasting reductions in seasonal affective disorder incidence or merely redistribute seasonal mood burdens.