Daylight Saving Time Should be Banned

Every year, without fail, the world loses an hour for a few months then adds it back, leaving people disoriented for weeks on end. In the spring, students and parents stumble around the entire day, bleary-eyed and wondering why they woke up so early. On the other hand, in the fall, they feel rejuvenated and refreshed. This phenomenon is known as daylight saving time, and while it may seem like a fun, random activity that occurs twice a year, it is quite the opposite. The constant switching destroys people’s circadian rhythm, leaving dangerous side effects. This has prompted many states, including California, to attempt to get rid of daylight saving time for good. 

Daylight saving time is a process that involves people “springing forward,” by one hour in the spring, and then “falling back” by one hour in the fall. It was practiced in the US to add additional daylight in the evenings and reduce daylight in the mornings. The next time change will occur on the 3rd of November, when a “fallback” will be experienced. 

While it may only seem like a random way to lose and gain sleep, the effects on health are immense. This switching seems minor, but it disrupts people’s circadian rhythm, which is the body’s internal clock, and causes mood swings, increased tiredness, and leads to a higher risk of heart attack, depression, and stroke. The increased tiredness also causes more car accidents immediately after the “spring forward,” as people lose an hour of sleep and tend to be less alert. 

These side effects are not only dangerous, but also disorienting for students during “spring forward” and “fallback.” Most students already have very little time on their hands and don’t get enough sleep, so reducing their time even more in the spring is downright unfair. While it isn’t as egregious in the fall, students will still have increased tiredness later in the day, potentially causing them to struggle and fall behind in school. Not to mention that it takes days, if not weeks, to adjust to an addition or subtraction of an hour, before finally adjusting to their new sleep schedule. 

These complaints have caused many states to introduce bills that would ban daylight saving time, but many have made little progress or have been declined. The only states that have successfully removed daylight saving time are Arizona and Hawaii, with other American territories such as Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands also having removed it. 

While it is unfortunate that many bills haven’t been passed that would abolish daylight saving time, Arizona, Hawaii, and the other territories have all shown that there is still a chance. So hopefully, this random, weird, semiannual event can be abolished and everyone can get the consistent rest they deserve.