Angela McArdle

I’m so happy for Anne and others. But I’m very concerned with the framing of how more women are having babies in their 40s. I’m worried it’s going to influence more women to put off family forever as if it’ll be easy when there are very real consequences. If they’re going to promote this, we should also inform women of the health risks to her and baby and let women know the biological clock is real and some doors close. That’s why I wrote this piece for Evie: eviemagazine.com/post/40-is-not…

“Daylight Saving Time puts the sun where I can actually make use of it. In the evening time and not before I wake up.” Tell me that you don’t understand circadian biology without telling me that you don’t understand circadian biology There is growing evidence that daylight entering the bedroom shortly before awakening helps the body transition from sleep to wakefulness. In a randomized crossover trial, 19 participants received natural daylight either for 20 minutes before waking, from dawn until waking, or not at all. Light during the final 20 minutes produced less sleepiness, less fatigue and greater alertness. Starting too early sometimes disrupted sleep. Wang X, et al. Building and Environment. 2025;273:112733. doi.org/10.1016/j.buil… In another crossover study, gradually increasing light for 30 minutes before awakening significantly increased the normal cortisol awakening response—the physiologic rise in cortisol that prepares the body for daytime activity. Thorn L, et al. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2004;29:925–930. doi.org/10.1016/j.psyn… A third study found that simulated dawn beginning 30 minutes before waking produced a smoother rise in heart rate and better parasympathetic regulation during the transition from sleep to wakefulness—potentially reducing the abrupt cardiovascular stress of awakening. Viola AU, et al. Sleep Medicine. 2015;16:457–461. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25813092/ Together, these studies suggest that the body is designed to receive increasing light before or around the time of awakening. This improves morning alertness and influences hormonal and autonomic physiology. This is also one reason permanent Standard Time makes more biological sense than permanent Daylight Saving Time: Standard Time allows more people to awaken closer to natural dawn rather than forcing them to begin their day in darkness.