Is Daylight Saving Time Worth the Hassle?
Daylight saving time (DST) allocates more daylight during the spring and summer so people have the opportunity to do more activities during the day. Instead of just following the sun, why was DST adopted in the first place? Back in 1918, during World War I, it was officially implemented by Germany as a means to save money and conserve energy. However, over a hundred years later, does it still accomplish this role?
The Case For DST
Even though DST might seem annoying at first, it can pose quite a few advantages. Firstly, DST is quite beneficial to the overall economy, as generally, after work, people have the opportunity now to go shopping, boosting retail sales. Also, people tend to spend more money on gas to go shopping or do other activities.
Other than the economic boost, DST promotes general safety. It deters crime since darkness is a factor to take into consideration. Robbery rates dropped by 51% after the time shift in spring. Consequently, in 2007, it saved approximately $558 million in social costs of crime.
With the extra extended hour of sunlight, drivers can also see you better in the evenings, therefore reducing the chance of potential car accidents. These factors encourage more leisure time after work and school that is both safer and brighter, which is one of the main advantages of implementing DST.
It promotes better and more active lifestyles, and it gives you an increased exposure to sunlight in the evenings, which is great for vitamin D synthesization. According to the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, a study of 23,000 children from 9 countries concluded the same thing.
The Hidden Costs
DST can sound very appealing with all those advantages; however, like anything else, it also brings along some direct and indirect problems. Despite these gains, the fact that DST might save money may be exaggerated. It was found that in the United States, DST actually saves a negligible amount, augmenting to only around 0.1% - 0.5%.
Studies have shown that opposite economical consequences can occur. In 2013, according to a study done by Chumura Economics & Analytics, approximately $672 million was lost in the United States alone. This includes $374.75 million from heart attacks, $251.53 million from strokes, $18.35 million from workplace injuries, and $27.39 million from traffic accidents.
The original purpose of implementing DST was to save money on lighting during the evenings since it can be replaced by natural sunlight. Even though this might have been effective at a time when candles and oil lamps were commonly used, now, over 100 years later, it no longer is. People nowadays are using less and less electricity for lighting, and instead this electricity is used for heating and air conditioning. In the United States, only 6% of electricity consumption is used towards lighting in the residential sector and only 8% in the industrial sector. Additionally, since there is generally more activity when it is bright outside, there are more people driving, which also increases carbon emissions.
The Impact on Sleep and Health
One of the other more prominent problems is disturbances within your sleep schedule and your circadian rhythm. Even though it might seem like an hour's difference does not affect much, it actually causes a much greater impact.
The circadian rhythm is influenced by light, and it can be compared to a metronome that signals when you should sleep, wake up, etc. Your circadian rhythm speeds up in the presence of morning light, and it slows down when you receive light during the evenings. It is recommended to receive more light in the mornings than in the evenings to maintain a nice balance. However, DST essentially counters that logic.
Depending on your schedule, you are likely to wake up in darkness, which throws the circadian rhythm off. Especially in Quebec where it is pretty relatable to wake up in total darkness on a December morning because of the late sunrise times. Additionally, less exposure to light in the mornings results in higher melatonin levels, which is bad for your health, and it also causes daytime fatigue.
DST disrupts your sleep patterns too. In 2003 and 2004, average sleep duration was cut by around an hour, and sleep efficiency was reduced by 10%. Reduced sleep quality and time can even lead to indirect consequences like lower performance and test scores during the SAT.
By advancing or falling back by an hour, DST modifies your circadian rhythm, which can lead to other negative health outcomes such as an increased chance of having a stroke, a heart attack, or even obesity. If we stick to permanent standard time, there can be approximately a 300,000 reduction in strokes, and there can be 2.6 million fewer people who have obesity.
The Bottom Line
Ultimately, there are always going to be two sides to this argument and many different perspectives that need to be taken into consideration. However, even with all the advantages that DST can bring, is one extra hour of light really worth 300,000 preventable strokes?