Daylight saving time (DST) has been around in the US on and off since 1918, but after 106 years’ worth of back and forth – both in terms of political decision-making and, y’know, clocks – is it time to ditch it for good?
What is daylight saving time – and why do we have it?
DST in the USA is that time each March – the second Sunday specifically – when the clocks are moved forward by an hour. Then, on the first Sunday in November, they move back again to standard time. This gives us lighter mornings – aka more daylight to enjoy – in the fall and winter.
The first two times that DST was introduced in the US, it was as a wartime measure. That was in 1918 (when it was argued it would conserve energy, although there’s no conclusive evidence to support that), and in 1942, when it was decided to adopt DST year-round – though that too ended eventually.
After that, it all got a bit chaotic; though the US government made the start and end dates of DST near-uniform across the country in 1966, it later adopted permanent standard time, only to repeal it again.
Should we get rid of daylight saving time?
In the time since, the question of whether the clocks should still go back and forth has reared its head time and time again. Ditching DST isn’t without public support – in a 2023 YouGov survey of 1,000 American adults, 62 percent said they would like to see an end to the time change.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine – a professional society for those practicing sleep medicine – also takes a particularly strong stance.
“It is the position of the AASM that the United States should eliminate seasonal time changes in favor of permanent standard time, which aligns best with human circadian biology,” said members of the AASM in its most recent position statement on the matter, published in January 2024.
“Evidence supports the distinct benefits of standard time for health and safety, while also underscoring the potential harms that result from seasonal time changes to and from daylight saving time.”
“Circadian biology” refers to our “biological clock“, which is affected by light and darkness – it’s even in our genes. According to the AASM, research suggests that introducing a misalignment between our internal clock and our “social clock” (such as the time at which we have to go to school or work) “has been associated with risks to physical and mental health and safety, as well as risks to public health.”
Some of these risks, it says, include loss of sleep, a higher chance of heart attacks and stroke, increased emergency room visits, traffic accidents, and mood disturbances.
Getting rid of DST isn’t a question that’s been confined to academics and medics either – it’s even made it as far as the US Congress.
In 2022, the US Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which also aimed to ditch the changing of the clocks. However, unlike the AASM, it called for year-round DST rather than standard time – something that others disagree with.
“If you look at the expert consensus from the scientific societies that focus on sleep, health and circadian rhythms, all of them agree this is a bad idea,” sleep researcher Professor Kenneth Wright told CU Boulder Today. “Yes, we should be getting rid of the time change. But the science suggests we should be sticking with standard time not daylight saving time.”
The bill later failed, although there has been an attempt to bring it back.
Ultimately, it seems to be less a matter of whether or not we should be getting rid of the clocks changing and more a question of how.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
Source Link: Should Daylight Saving Time Be Abolished?