PRO
A majority of the world switched to Daylight Saving Time (DST) again on Sunday. While the standard time is the real time, DST is used in rotation around the globe for eight out of 12 months in the calendar year. Utilized from March to November, its function proves just as valuable — if not more — than the standard or winter time.
With time being pushed forward, daylight is able to linger for around an hour longer than in the winter months. Individuals across the world depend on the concept of time to navigate day-to-day life.
Although the construct of time proves unreliable due to the invention of DST — adjusting what we believe in for months at a time — it is still used, proving its necessity in the spring and summer seasons.
Further daylight is vital for the safety of citizens who may be out in the evenings. With sunset being pushed back, people could be seen walking outside and less likely to be hit by a car, or even kidnapped. If we were to revert to the Standard Time for the unforeseeable future, criminals may view this early darkness as an advantage. Fewer individuals would see them damaging property or maiming others if there is a lack of light all-year long.
Additionally, eliminating DST could increase the risk of seasonal depression. According to science and the National Institutes of Health, sunlight plays a role in the production of serotonin. Serotonin assists in the regulation of mood, sleep and appetite. Removing this aspect to the lives of billions could only increase the levels of melancholy throughout the world.
DST could only benefit our lives and the way we spend them. Eliminating it would only disrupt the lifestyle of a large percentage of the human population.
rross1@ramapo.edu
CON
Daylight Saving Time (DST) is a useless and detrimental practice, one that needs to be stopped. To name just a few problems with Daylight Saving Time, it is harmful to overall health, impacts productivity and is unnecessarily expensive.
The switch to DST significantly increases the number of car accidents, the likelihood of heart attacks being fatal, headaches and suicide rates, among other things.
According to Britannica, “the risk of a heart attack increases 10% the Monday and Tuesday following the spring time change.”
In other words, the seemingly slight change and mere hour of sleep lost can have significant consequences regarding one’s health for weeks, according to some estimates.
Productivity is also low following the time change. As workers lose an hour of sleep, they’re more likely to feel tired during their shift, which will lead to less work being completed.
Additionally, a chronobiologist named Till Roenneberg reported that one’s circadian rhythm doesn’t change with the time shift, making many have a “decreased quality of life,” in addition to not feeling productive.
As if these weren’t reasons enough, the transition to DST is expensive. The time change in some countries can make traveling to other countries more difficult, as the American Airport Industry lost an estimated $147 million dollars in a single year attempting to remedy difficulties surrounding the time change.
However, it is important to note that these detrimental effects of DST are based solely on the switch over from Standard Time. DST in itself is not necessarily a bad thing: it grants us more waking hours with the sun’s light, which may reduce electricity consumption and depression from lack of sunlight. Perhaps the most beneficial and healthy thing to do is to switch to DST for good.
jamabil3@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of Pexels
