By: Veeraj Shah
Doesn’t it feel good to sleep an extra hour, or feel terrible when you have to wake up an hour earlier? It seems wrong for man to mess with time because time is what allows society as a whole to function. By moving time, we are essentially disturbing circadian rhythms and peoples schedules in general. But can we really change time? Can we really add an extra hour to our day? Read ahead to find out!
The image shows the two seasons where the time changes.
The Daylight Savings Time was an idea that was first thought about by Benjamin Franklin when he temporarily stayed as an American delegate in Paris in the year 1784. The idea was first advocated by a builder in London going by the name of William Willet through his pamphlet title ‘Waste of Daylight.’ This proposed setting our clocks 20 minutes ahead on each of the four Sundays in April and setting them backwards by the same amount on four consecutive Sundays in the month of September. Hence, the Daylight Savings Time occurs between March 10th and November 3rd. This system of changing times was mainly implemented to save energy. Since it was formulated in the era of invention of artificial light, therefore, working under the sun was the most idea and productive way to work. At the time of the birth of this idea, people were applauding it because of the many benefits it has. Currently, the lasting effects of Daylight Saving Time are affecting international relations, creating nested time zones, and potentially influencing one’s health.
Daylight Savings Time leaves so much time in our day to do so many more things.
Location Matters
The place one lives in has an impact on whether or not having daylight savings time is actually beneficial. This is because Earth is tilted on its axis with respect to the sun, at an angle of 23.5 degrees, so the places close to the poles of the Earth receive more or less sunlight at different times of the year, making the loss of daylight hours more pronounced The sunlight that they receive is on a whole, very minimal and changes very little with different seasons. As a result, there is a need to maximize the amount of sunlight received.. As opposed to this, regions around the equator (tropical and part of the temperate region) receive sunlight all the year round, owing to the spherical shape of the earth. Seasons are milder, hence, daylight savings time will be of little, to no use here. #weneeddaylightsavingstime
Consequences??
Unfortunately, this time change has been correlated to higher risks of heart attacks, more car accidents, and other negative outcomes that come along with disturbing the circadian rhythm, an internal clock organisms have inherited that controls our sleep patterns. As mentioned by Prerau, a researcher on this study, those effects thought to be due to sleep deprivation and circadian rhythm changes—are just temporary. “It’s very important for people to understand the difference between short-term, transitional effects and long-term benefits,” he says. “You’re talking about an eight-month benefit versus a one- or two-day negative.” Therefore, although the first couple of days after the time change can create some obstacles for people, in the long run, people will be able to enjoy the outdoors and the sunlight more as compared to without the time change. Sacrificing a few days, for 90 days, in my opinion, is well worth it.
Sources:
“Why Do We Have Daylight Saving Time? 100 Years of History.” National Geographic, National Geographic Society, 2 Nov. 2018, news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/03/daylight-savings-time-arizona-florida-spring-forward-science/
History & Info - Daylight Saving Time Idea from Benjamin Franklin, www.webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/c.html
“The History of Daylight Saving Time.” Timeanddate.com, www.timeanddate.com/time/dst/history.html.