Let’s Do the Time Warp Again . . .
Maybe Not
Amazing colors and shape of the sun setting over rocks in Fire Canyon, Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, USA
November 9, 2022
Americans recently just “fell back” as the season of autumn welcomes changes. Daylight savings time ends on Sunday, November 6th which means Americans had to re-adjust themselves to the extra hour of sleep.
The history of daylight savings dates back to the twentieth century, when the agricultural industry started to flourish and farmers needed every hour of sunlight they could get. A Canadian man named George Hudson invented the idea of daylight savings time on July 1, 1908. Following Hudson’s idea, Benjamin Franklin made a proposal that it would help economize the usage of candles. The States later adopted the act on March 19, 1918, making daylight savings time official. During this time, children helped out on the family farm instead of attending school. The act gave families more daylight to work in the fields during the spring and summer. The United States Senate publicized on March 15 that they passed the Sunshine Protection Act to end daylight savings, and it would take effect in November 2023.
Studies prove the dangers of daylight savings and the toll it takes on humanity’s physical and mental health. According to USA Today, the transition of daylight savings causes adverse health effects. A crucial importance to staying healthy is sleep, and most Americans undergo sleep deficiency from the disruption in their schedule. During the “fall back” in autumn when the days shorten, people commonly experience a seasonal depression. An article from Healthline explains that the internal clock of the human body responds to the exposure of sunlight. The body sends hormonal signals to the brain signifying sleep time. The disruption tampers with the human body’s hormones, causing fatigue and confusion in the brain.
Other studies say that most workplace and fatal traffic accidents link to the transition in spring. The lack of morning light suppresses the brain’s circadian rhythm which causes these accidents. Next year the clocks will “spring forward” one last time on Sunday, March 12th and officially end on November 5th. After 2023, Americans can permanently say goodbye to daylight savings time.
