What does the Bill propose to do?
– The U.S. Senate voted unanimously to make daylight saving time permanent from 2023.
One of the first questions that come to mind is – what do sleep scientists have to say about it?
– …sleep scientists argue the choice of daylight saving time over standard time—in other words, choosing the “spring forward” rather than “fall back” time—would leave Americans permanently out of sync with their natural schedule and potentially lead to a range of health issues.
Okay, so we already have a problem. But, before we get into more detail about that issue, why do we have daylight savings time?
– Originally, daylight saving was meant to reduce energy consumption, by setting clocks forward thus extending the hours of daylight further into the evening. With more sunlight, people require less electricity for artificial lighting. However, research suggests that the changing ways we consume energy means daylight saving time no longer saves enough electricity to be meaningful.
So, what was the theory at time? What does the research tell us about the theory was correct?
– In fact, one 2008 study found that moving clocks forward actually increased electricity consumption as people started using more power-hungry appliances, like air-conditioning, later into the evening.
The sun obviously rises and falls at different times based on location, so what impact does geographic location have on daylight savings time?
– The U.S. population has also trended south in recent decades, with population growth in states like Arizona, Texas, and Florida significantly outstripping their Northern counterparts. Southern states see a smaller seasonal difference in daylight hours, which reduces the need to “save” daylight. For example: northernly Detroit gets over 15 hours of sunlight in the summer and only nine hours in winter. Southernly Austin gets 14 hours of daylight in summer and 10 hours in winter.
Are there other reasons for not changing the time that are based on science and research?
– Some researchers blame the switch between standard and daylight saving time for a number of social ills, including lost productivity and increased health stress, as people’s bodies adjust to the time change.
– One study found a small but significant increase in road accidents on the Monday after the switch to summertime, as the lost hour of sleep affected people’s driving ability. Other studies found the rate of workplace injuries and even heart attacks tend to increase shortly after the U.S. “springs forward.”
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