Daylight savings is idiotic and possibly to blame for all my problems.
Like many others last weekend, I woke up on Sunday, Nov. 5 rested, rejuvenated, and happy. But I also felt a slow-burning rage deep within, as I often do this time of year. Although I got the best sleep I’d had in weeks, I had to remember why — the archaic, Western practice of messing with the clocks, which has GOT to go.
Contrary to popular mythos, Daylight Saving Time (DST) has nothing to do with agriculture or giving farmers later hours of sunlight to work the fields. The agriculture industry lobbied against it, arguing that a later sunrise cut down on their time to get goods to market in the morning. The practice began during World War I to save fuel in 1916 Germany (they dropped it post-war); in 1918, we adopted it as well. It’s been over 100 years. You don’t think it’s time for a change?
Remember when I mentioned my joy waking up Sunday morning with that extra hour of sleep and my spirits successfully lifted? If I’d written this in March, you’d be listening to my misery after getting an hour of sleep STOLEN from me. I already have a super delayed circadian rhythm, and I’m the opposite of an easy early riser. For several years, I’ve woken up in a groggy stupor, walked downstairs to my similarly exhausted family, and rehashed this exact conversation. I often begin investigating why America insists on implementing the change yearly, but I (evidently) get too irritated and close all my tabs. Much of my research here is courtesy of dialogue with my mother.
A quick terminology clarification: under the current practice of clock-switching, November to March, the era of earlier sunrises and sunsets, is “standard time,” and March to November, when we get later sunrises and sunsets, is “daylight time.”
“Springing forward” always makes a dreary Pittsburgh March morning exponentially harder. Nonetheless, I’m not here to (only) complain about my gripes with this tradition. DST has legitimate ramifications on a much larger scale. Research and common knowledge show that after the forward-moving time change, workplace accidents, car crashes, and economic costs all increase. A final shocking statistic to convince you: the number of heart attacks in the United States spikes 24 percent in the days following the change.
By contrast, “falling back” can have beneficial effects for everyone. Our natural circadian rhythms align more with standard time, and the extra hour of daylight falling in the morning can increase metabolism, productivity, and mood. I do believe that standard time is probably a little better for my health and well-being, even though I loathe 5:00 p.m. sunsets as much as the next person. However, I’ll make my peace with a darker winter if it means eradicating the time change for good. I’m not arguing for one time, either standard or savings, to stay and not the other. I just want us to pick one time and stick with it.
Crazily enough, everyone already knows just how much DST sucks. No one argues with me — the issue, or rather, getting rid of the practice, has even transcended political polarization and somehow become one thing citizens and politicians from all walks of life can agree on. The Senate approved the Sunshine Protection Act in 2022, which would have permanently ended the back-and-forth this November and kept us on permanent daylight saving time. As a reminder, that means later sunrise and sunset, which boosts the economy. To my earlier point about the universal hatred, the legislation passed with unanimous consent, a very uncommon practice.
The bill sadly has yet to pass in the House, and Daylight Saving Time remains in effect. I will be severely distressed and sleep-deprived for a good week in March for the foreseeable future, and I’m sick of it.
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