Daylight Saving Time (DST) is more than just a minor inconvenience. It’s an antiquated solution to a problem we no longer have.
Permanent Daylight Saving Time should be enforced because not doing so would be detrimental to people’s health, the economy, and overall productivity. Many other countries (as well as Alaska and Hawaii) have been surviving just fine without it.
Legislation has passed in the US Senate that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent later in 2023. The Sunshine Protection Act would put an end to the biannual “Spring Forward, Fall Back”. The fact that it passed unanimously in a divided Senate is testament to the frustration felt over the years about the fluctuating time.
Each time we change the clocks forward or back, it disrupts the relationship our brains have with the sun, according to The Washington Post. When we mess with this relationship, it throws off our internal clocks, making it difficult for our bodies to adjust to the new time difference, leading to a lack of sleep.
The American College of Cardiology states studies have revealed that there is a 25% increase in heart attacks on the Monday directly following the “spring forward” in March and a decrease of a similar measure in the fall when the clock goes back again
One more recent study by The National Library of Medicine points to an increase in hospitalizations for atrial fibrillation following the spring time change.
The spring back also brings a 16% increase in vehicle and deer collisions, according to a recent study.
Back when DST originated, it made a lot more sense. In 1918 the Standard Time Act was created and enforced in an effort to save fuel costs during the first world war. A recent paper published in the International Association for Energy Economics stated that as society grew, lighting accounts for only a 0.34% savings during the days in which DST applies.
Daylight savings was started to save money, but now it actually costs us instead.
According to the Lost-Hour Economic Index, DST costs the US economy $434 million in lost production and medical expenses.
The Air Transport Association estimated that DST cost the airline industry $147 million dollars in 2007 due to confused time schedules with countries who do not observe the time change.
People just do not want to work when they are tired. The Monday following the spring time change is actually called Sleepy Monday in light of it being the most sleep-deprived day of the year. When workers are tired, they are more likely to slack off throughout the day.
The fall time change comes with less daylight later in the day which leads to an 11% increase in depression – which decreases productivity.
When people say that they like daylight saving time, what they are really saying is that they like longer and brighter days. They like spending time outside with their friends just hanging out. They like summer.
It makes people grumpy, tired, and the economy loses money in the process. So let’s just get rid of it already.
