Ditch the Switch (Daylight Savings Time)

Nasma Ibrahim, Staff Writer

Photo//Pexels, Krivec Ales

As we set our clocks forward on Sunday, many of us experienced the subtle disruption that comes with shifting to daylight savings time. While the concept was introduced hundreds of years ago with the goal of conserving energy, its relevance in the modern era has sparked political and medical debates on whether we should keep the biannual practice of changing our clocks.

While it is unknown who originally invented daylight savings time, its purpose is to use more natural light, rather than lighting, in turn, energy resources. In the summer, the sun comes out earlier, but many people are not awake to take advantage of this. Pushing the clock forward allows more daylight during the evenings. 

This practice was put in place in 1916, starting in Germany, and reached the U.S. in 1918. Daylight savings time was then repealed the following year, but most states kept the practice. 

Daylight savings time should be ditched. If you woke up feeling groggy and tired on Monday, it was not just you. While only an hour of sleep was lost, studies show that the Monday after “springing forward” is associated with higher rates of car accidents and workplace accidents, along with risks of heart attacks. The practice itself is also annoying.

While many of us have clocks that correct themselves, there will always be older clocks that have to be manually adjusted, which is inconvenient. 

The Sunshine Protection Act was introduced in January 2021 to make daylight savings time the new permanent standard time, but it failed to get through the House. This Act passing would get rid of this outdated practice. 

Our days are no longer governed by the rising and falling of the sun, as it was in the past. Today, we have electricity that allows us to drive at night, lamps to read in the dark, and ways to work and stay active after the sun goes down. 

By ditching the changing of our clocks, a new decision has to be made: daylight savings time or standard time. Many health experts say that standard time is healthier for sleep. It also allows for more daylight for those who get up late, but dark mornings for people heading to work or school. 

Personally, I’m in favor of daylight savings time because of the late sunsets and the chance to see daylight when leaving class in the afternoon. Which time setting do you prefer, daylight savings or standard time?