On Sunday, March 9 at 2 a.m., clocks across the United States went forward one hour for daylight saving time. In recent years, Americans have debated the usefulness of daylight saving time, questioning how meaningful the time change really is each season.
Each state in the U.S., excluding Hawaii and Arizona, takes part in the time change on each first week of November and March. The adjustment began with the 1918 Standard Time Act, which established daylight saving because the government believed it would conserve energy that could otherwise be used for fuel in World War I. Although some believe daylight saving time was created for agricultural reasons, many agricultural workers were actually against it because it did not improve the farmers’ schedules.
With students coming back to campus to prepare for the last part of the semester, Abby Diamond, sophomore psychology and data science major, said that daylight saving time motivates her. For Diamond, daylight saving time is a reflection of the seasonal change and new experiences.
“[It] always makes me happy, whether it be fall to winter or winter to spring,” Diamond said. “[But] when the days start getting longer, it brings me so much joy.”
Diamond pointed out that days are shorter in the winter, so adjusting the clocks makes sense for her. Daylight saving time adjustments reap a number of benefits, such as combating crime and reducing environmental impacts.
Despite some advantages, some think that daylight saving time is an annoyance due to the disruption of their schedule, including Kai Washington, a sophomore social work major and Logan Borger, a junior public health major.
“Although it does not substantially negatively affect me in any way, it’s a bit annoying having to go through it every six months for no [apparent] scientific reason,” Borger said. “Losing that hour of sleep makes me feel groggy the next day.”
Washington similarly sees no benefit to daylight saving time and appreciates “seeing the sun fall from its high horse at 5PM.”
“I’m a night owl and feel the best in the night,” Washington said. “I treat the sun as a sleep alarm at times so I can take a nap in the middle of the afternoon.”
Washington said that a lot of young adults might relate to his sentiment because of their tendency to stay up later in the night.
“I feel like most young adults and teens are vampires in nature since we like having fun once work is done,” Washington said. “I wish at times it was always night, so I feel less anxious about having to wake up in the morning.”
Kathryn Roecklein, associate professor of psychology, specializes in sleep and circadian rhythms. Roecklein noted that daylight saving time has more negative effects on individuals and emphasized the destructiveness of the time change.
“[Daylight saving time] has negative effects on physical and mental health, including increased risks for diabetes, obesity, heart disease, depression and some forms of cancer,” Roecklein said. “These negative effects can be prevented by not switching to DST.”
According to PBS, the clock going forward can lead to more heart attacks and heightened suicide rates in the month of March. The changing of time can even affect drivers, bringing a 6% increase of fatal car accident risk in the United States.
The U.S. is not the only country with daylight saving time implemented, with 40% of countries still participating in the time switch. Despite a wide range of participation, Roecklein “debunked” any possible benefits from daylight saving time.
“All potential benefits of DST that anyone might mention—we would get more exercise for example—have been debunked by research studies,” Roecklein said. “[Daylight saving time] is a shock to your system, and we can experience mood ups and downs, fatigue, difficulty, concentrating, irritability and even queasiness from the time change.”
Roecklein recommends people prioritize taking care of their health and find a balance during the time change.
“The best thing to do is advance your wake time gradually, about 15 minutes a day until you’re on the new time,” Rocklein said. “It helps to get outside and get some exposure to light first thing in the morning.”