It’s a routine we’re all familiar with: Spring forward, fall back. Daylight saving time. Most people enjoy it a little more in the fall when they gain an extra hour. In the spring, it makes us all sleepier.

A new study, however, suggests toying with time in this way might worsen our health.

The basic idea of advancing the clocks an hour in the spring is that it makes better use of the longer periods of sunlight we enjoy in the summer.

Germany was the first nation to adopt the measure in 1916 to conserve fuel during World War I. The United States followed two years later to save energy and to extend the workday. Daylight saving time was suspended after the war, but reemerged during the Second World War.

It became a permanent fixture in American life.

Now, a Stanford University study shows that ditching these biannual clock changes could result in fewer cases of stroke and obesity. That’s because the time shifts upset our internal circadian clocks.

Every cell has a circadian clock that tunes our bodies to the Earth’s rotation. Depending on the time of day, this cellular timepiece affects blood pressure, body temperature and hormones, and influences a range of daily functions. Jet lag is an example of a malfunctioning circadian clock.

The Stanford researchers used mathematical models that analyzed light exposure, circadian rhythms and health outcomes to estimate how getting rid of the time changes would impact the nation.

They found it would lead to a reduction of 2.6 million cases of obesity in the U.S. annually. Strokes would fall by an estimated 307,000. It might also lessen other ills.

When you put it that way, it’s tempting to wish time would just stand still.