Daylight Saving Time Doesn’t Increase Daily Steps, New Study Reveals

Daylight saving time does not increase people’s overall daily step count, according to a new study that used wearable device data to examine physical activity patterns around clock changes.

The research, conducted by scientists using data from the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program, found no net change in total daily steps associated with the spring or fall transitions to and from daylight saving time.

Instead, the study revealed that daylight saving time shifts the timing of physical activity throughout the day. During the fall transition, when clocks are set back, participants took significantly more steps in the morning and fewer in the evening. Specifically, morning step counts increased by an average of 202 steps, while evening step counts decreased by 180 steps.

In contrast, during the spring transition when clocks move forward, the pattern reversed: morning activity decreased and evening activity increased, mirroring the fall changes but in the opposite direction.