A
Timely Intervention:
Permanent
Summer Hours Boost Quality of Life
Forty-eight
percent of Americans find Daylight Saving Time a nuisance and want it
eliminated, according to a poll from Rasmussen Reports. Daylight Saving Time,
the semiannual changing of the clocks, was originally instituted to save
energy. By manipulating time, one hour backward in the fall and forward again
in the spring, people were expected to sleep during the darkest part of the
night, thus reducing the need for light and electricity. However, the opposite
is true. Habits formed during summer hours remain throughout the year, but in
winter, people turn on more lights.
However, the DST question involves much
more than electricity. Arbitrary
changes in time cause negative effects in health, safety, productivity, and
overall energy consumption. However, many proponents of Daylight Savings Time
(DST) argue that summer hours boost the economy and reduce crime. Based on the research, Americans can have the best of both worlds, by stopping the
changes, and keeping summer hours throughout the year. Here follows evidence that
time changes are doing more harm than
good, and DST, itself, is actually benefiting the American people.
Daylight Saving Time Wastes Energy
Although
the program was originally instituted to save energy, research shows that
Americans are likely to use more energy than they otherwise would. According to
a study by students of the Bren School of Environmental Science &
Management, Indiana’s residential electricity use has increased by up to 4% per
household since its adoption of Daylight Saving Time in 2006. Prior to this
change, Indiana had some counties that did not use DST. This allowed
researchers a clear reference point for comparison. People tend to continue the
same schedule throughout the year, turning on more lights during the dark
winter evenings. A continuation of summer hours would provide more daylight in
winter, thus reducing the need for electricity.
The Jump to Daylight Saving Time Decreases Productivity
and Safety in the Workplace
Electricity, and the fossil fuels used to
create it, is not the only form of energy at stake. DST wastes human energy
too. Taking time to change the clocks, forgetting the change, and therefore
running very early or very late to activities causes delays and confusion.
Furthermore, the time changes actually decrease efficiency as the disruption of
individual circadian rhythm leads to sleep deprivation, and tired people don’t work
effectively. Dr. Till Roenneberg, a German chronobiologist, states that due to
DST, “the majority of the population has drastically decreased productivity,
decreased quality of life, increasing susceptibility to illness, and is just
plain tired.”
Beyond the obvious slowdown at
work, inability to think clearly, due to sleep deprivation, is responsible for
increased accidents in the workplace. According to the US Department of Health
and Human Services, sleep deprivation is partly responsible for human errors
that cause nuclear meltdowns, grounded ships, and plane crashes. One study by
the American Psychological Association shows that on the first Monday following
the spring forward time change, workplace injuries increased by 5.7 percent,
and caused the loss of 68 percent increase in lost work days, due to injury.
“We contend that the springtime change is associated with an increase in the
number and severity of workplace accidents, especially for those engaged in
jobs requiring a high level of attention to detail. . . Studies have shown that
lost sleep causes attention levels to drop off, (The Society of Human Resource Management.")
Workplace injuries significantly
reduce profitability for companies, in terms of understaffing, lost work days,
and distraction from assigned tasks, but the largest cost is often in Workers’
Compensation for injured employees. These payouts alone cost US employers and
estimated $1 billion each week, according to OSHA (Occupational Safety and
Health Administration.) While discontinuing time changes would not eliminate
all such costs, it would reduce them, while improving overall health.
Time Changes Increase Risk of
Suicide and Heart Attacks
All
mental health requires adequate rest, and sleep disruption comes at a price.
For some, it may be no worse than a day or two of feeling “a bit off,” while
for others, it may become a matter of life and death. According to the
Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, in Australia, male suicide
rates increase in the week following the start Daylight Saving Time, compared
with the rest of the year. Additionally, sleep deprivation is linked to “heart
disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity and
depression, (National Heart, Lung and
Blood Institute.”) It is not surprising, then, that heart attacks increase
by 5 percent in the weeks following the spring DST change, (The New England Journal of Medicine.)
In
contrast, maintaining summer hours improves health, as more daylight invites
people out of doors after work and school, and increases physical activity.
This would make a drastic difference in winter, when the evenings are naturally
darker, and when many children huddle indoors immediately after school.
Longer
sunlit days also mean more exposure to the sun’s rays, which can help fight
depression. Each year, 20% of the population is
affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder, (SAD) or “winter blues.” This is
related to the decrease in overall sunlight and the fact that people stay
indoors more during cold weather. According to the US National Library of
Medicine, vitamin D plays a role in decreasing depression. Since most people in
the US have insufficient levels of vitamin D and direct sunlight stimulates the
skin to produce it, longer daylight could reduce and potentially eliminate
winter blues.
Extending Summer Hours Year-Round Reduces
Crime
More
light also means fewer robberies. According to an article in Brookings Now,
“When DST begins in the spring, robbery rates for the entire day fall an
average of 7 %, with a much larger 27 % drop during the evening hour that
gained some extra sunlight.” The article suggests that the change is due to the
extra daylight occurring at the time when most people are leaving work. Even
walking to the parking lot becomes safer when people can see threats, and are,
themselves, more visible to passersby.
The
decrease in crime saves millions of dollars in damages. In 2007, when Congress
extended DST by four weeks, crime rates dropped during those weeks, saving an
estimated $59 million in robberies that did not occur. By continuing summer
hours, the daylight lasts long enough for most 9-5 workers to make it home before
dark. While it is true that mornings will be darker, most workers will be in or
near their homes at that time, with a much shorter walk to the car, and quick
access to help and safety.
Longer Daylight Boosts the Economy
Consumer
spending increases during Daylight Saving Time, and decreases when it ends.
More people shop, buy gasoline, and spend money during the daytime. According
to ProCon.org, later daylight increases the retail and gas sales after work for
the eight months of the year spent in Daylight Saving Time. Extended hours
increased golf revenues up to $400 million in one month of DST. The barbecue
industry, likewise, sees a profit increase $150 million during one month during
summer hours. Los Angeles, California retailers report sales decreasing 3.5 %
after the DST ends in the fall.
Keeping Daylight Saving Time
Benefits Americans
\Americans can
see a dramatic improvement in their quality of life by eliminating time changes
and adhering to summer hours. With more efficient energy use, they can save
money, while removing sleep disturbances helps keep them safe and productive. With adequate sleep, and its attendant improvement in health, comes the ability to enjoy life more. Crime reductions allow for greater peace of mind. People will have more time to
shop and travel with a corresponding boost to the economy. Since time and the
way it is used affect every aspect of life, continuing Daylight Saving Time has
the potential to improve quality of human life in virtually every way. What
could people accomplish if their greatest health challenges were removed, or
eased? What could they build if their tax dollars were not used in crime
investigations? No one knows for certain, but the prospects are bright. It's time
to make a change that will save time, money, and lives, a new definition of
Daylight Saving Time.
Works
Cited
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