“Don’t see it as losing an hour. See is as losing all the excuses that were holding you back.” -Dave Barry. Daylight savings time is something that has been around since March 19, 1918. This sometimes annoying staple in our lives, may be discontinued by next year, due to the people persisting on the rule being eliminated this year.
Everyone, I’d assume, knows about how in the fall, we “fall” back an hour and gain another hour of time, while in the spring, we “spring” ahead an hour and lose an hour.
The reason for daylight saving time was because of World War II so people in the war could conserve their energy and fuel by not having to make artificial lighting.
Now, the reason why daylight savings time is soon to be abolished is due to “health” concerns, like obesity, strokes, and heart attacks that are caused by the 2 hour changes in the year.
This led to the Sunshine Protection Act, proposed by Marco Rubio, 115th Congress Senate, which is a federal bill that aims to keep the time throughout the year permanent. 19 states have agreed to this act, quoting that we need to lock the clock.
However, with the federal bill sitting in the Senate since 2022, and not making any further advancements, it’s presumed that daylight saving time may be sticking around for more years to come.
A big question that comes with this act is, what if we really did “lock the clock”? Well, we can only assume the time change would result in our sleep schedules aligning with the sun's natural pattern, which may seem more normal for us; however, it can result in us waking up later, or even earlier than we are “used to”.
For some, this isn’t deemed an issue; for others, having to deal with their body's natural alarm clock being disrupted can involve an increase in stress and anxiety, and from what researchers have said, a growth in strokes, heart attacks, and mood disorders, according to John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
So, at the end of the day, is it really a good idea to get rid of daylight saving time?
