for CE
When November rolls around and we set our clocks back one hour to Standard Time, we gain an extra hour of sleep at the expense of afternoon daylight time. In other words, we all know these months of November-March as being dreadfully dark and disorienting. Daylight Savings Time (DST) is the practice of setting clocks one hour back in spring and one hour forward (returning to standard time) in November.
CNN writes, “the US first implemented Daylight Saving Time in 1918, as a way to reduce demand for electricity usage by adding sunlight to the end of the day in response to World War I.” Real DST came along with time zones, which were created by the 1966 Uniform Time Act in accordance with developing railroad systems. DST was thus primarily developed to save energy, and Standard Time (the time setting from November-March) has faced criticism for being outdated and unnecessary in the face of modern electricity and technology.
While it can be nice to rise with the sun in winter, time in the afternoon is far more valuable. During the shortest days of winter, I feel like I get to enjoy one hour of actual daylight maximum. I wake up in the morning to go to school, where I am for the majority of my day. At the risk of sounding excessively grim, this school—with its blinded windows and fluorescent overhead lights—is at times comparable to a dungeon. On most of these school days I don’t get the chance to go outside again until just before 4:00 p.m., which leaves half an hour or less of daylight for anyone to enjoy, seeing as the sun sets between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. for about two months.
Beyond my personal convenience, DST also faces criticism from many with seasonal depression. Getting sunlight increases serotonin levels in the brain, which makes people happier. This lack of sunlight, then, can cause struggles with happiness and a decrease in productivity. Businesses have noticed that profits are greater during DST because people have time after work or school to shop and run errands while the sun is still out. Many people, including the Senate, are pushing for year-round DST. Reuters reports that “the Senate approved the measure, called the Sunshine Protection Act, unanimously by voice vote. The House of Representatives, which has held a committee hearing on the matter, must still pass the bill before it can go to President Joe Biden to sign.”
There is some controversy with this idea, though: many sleep experts are against it because it negatively affects the human body’s circadian rhythms, potentially worsening sleep loss for those that suffer from it. “We [would] have to go to work an hour earlier for an additional five months every year…body clocks are usually later in winter than in summer with reference to the sun clock,” says the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms, quoted in a CNN article.
People advocating for year-round DST argue that having it dark so early in the afternoon can be a cause for more car accidents. People advocating for year-round standard time argue the opposite, saying more car crashes happen in the morning without the sunlight.
These points bring up the question as to whether DST, Standard Time, and time zones are even worth all the hassle. It seems nearly impossible to go to just Standard Time, but the adoption of year-round DST has failed in our nation’s past, as well as in other countries. Whatever the solution may be, the sun cannot keep setting before 5PM.
When November rolls around and we set our clocks back one hour to Standard Time, we gain an extra hour of sleep at the expense of afternoon daylight time. In other words, we all know these months of November-March as being dreadfully dark and disorienting. Daylight Savings Time (DST) is the practice of setting clocks one hour back in spring and one hour forward (returning to standard time) in November.
CNN writes, “the US first implemented Daylight Saving Time in 1918, as a way to reduce demand for electricity usage by adding sunlight to the end of the day in response to World War I.” Real DST came along with time zones, which were created by the 1966 Uniform Time Act in accordance with developing railroad systems. DST was thus primarily developed to save energy, and Standard Time (the time setting from November-March) has faced criticism for being outdated and unnecessary in the face of modern electricity and technology.
While it can be nice to rise with the sun in winter, time in the afternoon is far more valuable. During the shortest days of winter, I feel like I get to enjoy one hour of actual daylight maximum. I wake up in the morning to go to school, where I am for the majority of my day. At the risk of sounding excessively grim, this school—with its blinded windows and fluorescent overhead lights—is at times comparable to a dungeon. On most of these school days I don’t get the chance to go outside again until just before 4:00 p.m., which leaves half an hour or less of daylight for anyone to enjoy, seeing as the sun sets between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. for about two months.
Beyond my personal convenience, DST also faces criticism from many with seasonal depression. Getting sunlight increases serotonin levels in the brain, which makes people happier. This lack of sunlight, then, can cause struggles with happiness and a decrease in productivity. Businesses have noticed that profits are greater during DST because people have time after work or school to shop and run errands while the sun is still out. Many people, including the Senate, are pushing for year-round DST. Reuters reports that “the Senate approved the measure, called the Sunshine Protection Act, unanimously by voice vote. The House of Representatives, which has held a committee hearing on the matter, must still pass the bill before it can go to President Joe Biden to sign.”
There is some controversy with this idea, though: many sleep experts are against it because it negatively affects the human body’s circadian rhythms, potentially worsening sleep loss for those that suffer from it. “We [would] have to go to work an hour earlier for an additional five months every year…body clocks are usually later in winter than in summer with reference to the sun clock,” says the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms, quoted in a CNN article.
People advocating for year-round DST argue that having it dark so early in the afternoon can be a cause for more car accidents. People advocating for year-round standard time argue the opposite, saying more car crashes happen in the morning without the sunlight.
These points bring up the question as to whether DST, Standard Time, and time zones are even worth all the hassle. It seems nearly impossible to go to just Standard Time, but the adoption of year-round DST has failed in our nation’s past, as well as in other countries. Whatever the solution may be, the sun cannot keep setting before 5PM.