Do We Need Daylight Saving Time?
Daylight Saving Time (DST) is the practice of advancing clocks during warmer months so that darkness falls later each day according to the clock (Wikipedia). In 1895, George Hudson proposed the idea of Daylight Saving Time. The German Empire and Austria-Hungary went with Hudson’s proposition and started a nationwide implementation which was to take place April 30, 1916. Many countries have used it at various times since then.
There are pros and cons to DST; however, I see more cons with it. DST is bad for your health. Changing sleep patterns, even by one hour, goes against a person’s natural circadian rhythms and has negative consequences for health (ProCon.org). A study has been shown that the risk of heart attack increases by 10% the Monday and Tuesday following the Spring time change. There also has been tons of research and proof that headaches increase after DST. DST increases the risk that a car accident will be fatal by 5-6.5% and results in over 30 more deaths from car accidents annually.
Another con of DST is that it drops a person’s productivity. The Monday after the spring time change is called “Sleepy Monday” because it is one of the most sleep-deprived days of the year. Dr. Till Roenneberg, a German chronobiologist who studies the body’s relationship with light and dark, notes that the human circadian clock doesn’t adjust to DST and the “consequence of that is that the majority of the population has drastically decreased productivity, decreased quality of life, increasing susceptibility to illness, and is just plain tired.”
Many people believe that DST will help save energy, but research has shown that it doesn’t. A century ago, when DST was introduced, more daylight was a good thing because it meant less use of artificial light and more energy savings. However, modern society, with its computers, TV screens, and air conditioning units, uses more energy, no matter if the Sun is up or not. Today, the amount of energy saved from DST is negligible (Anne Buckle, Time and Date). When Indiana decided to introduce DST in 2006, a study found that the measure actually increased energy use in the state.
Daylight Saving Time has been used for over a century. But do its pros outweigh the cons? Personally, I think they don’t. DST leads to bad health problems. For most people, the resulting tiredness is simply an inconvenience. For some, however, the time change can have more serious consequences to their health. DST causes a lack of productivity; it causes habits of laziness. And finally, DST, in some regions, increases energy use. If the United States would stop moving its clock backward every year, it would benefit our country more by avoiding health issues, unproductivity, and excessive use of energy.
