Eschrich 1

Bradley Eschrich

Mrs. Cramer

Period 8

November 20th, 2020

Oh, the Times They Are A Changing

Each November the US takes upon themselves the annual ritual of setting our clocks back

one hour to account for what is known as Daylight Savings Time. Many people view this as both

a negative in the spring and a positive in the fall (Bryan). In November, it is as if an extra hour of

sleep is gained, compared to immediately before and in the Spring, it is like an hour is lost.

Because of this we change our times begrudgingly both times in a year because of the potential

malice it causes the people of the world. The logic behind the idea of daylight savings time is

sound, in the winter months there is less sun and people would benefit from having the hours

pushed forward by one, and in the summer, there is much more sunlight so people would benefit

by waking earlier to utilize it. Aside from sleep, this system is used to save energy as well. If

there are more hours of daylight being utilized that means that there will be less time that

artificial light will need to be used and therefore energy is saved. This is practiced in other

nations across the world particularly in the Northern hemisphere because of the similar nature

and lack of sunlight in the winter. Just recently however, the European Union agreed to be rid of

the practice (EHS). This begs the question, if daylight savings is supposed to be a necessary evil

than why does it seem like the negatives often outweigh the positives for many countries?

Beyond losing an hour of sleep in the spring, daylight savings is a negative practice for the

nations of the world. There are three major negative effects of using the Daylight-Saving Time
 Eschrich 2

system and that is that it is ultimately no longer useful for the modern day work force, it causes

many automobile and work related injuries, and it has many negative effects on mental health.

Today, only 70 of the world’s 195 countries practice daylight savings. Keep in mind this

number includes the European union but will soon be removed from the number of still

practicing countries. So why is it that less than half of the world’s countries use daylight savings,

and the other half does not? Many less developed countries do not use daylight savings for

various reasons. Not because these countries administrations do not consider it important, but

because they believe that it is more beneficial to them to live without it. Many people in LDCs

work farming jobs to provide for themselves and go off their own times (Bryan). So rather than

having a system in place most people will rise and rest to the sun anyhow which is why Daylight

savings was first implemented in MDC’s in the early 1900’s. Another reason other countries do

not use Daylight savings is because many countries are equatorial. Countries on the equator have

much more consistent seasons and therefore much more sunlight on average around the year. In

places like this there is little need for the daylight savings system because the daylight in these

places does not change around the year.

One of the main reasons for removing the Daylight savings system is the fact that it no

longer serves the purpose that it was made to fit and is ultimately irrelevant in the modern day.

Back in the early 1900’s when it was first implemented it was made to benefit the nations huge

farm population. Benjamin Franklin’s original ideas of Daylight savings were made to directly

benefit farmers because it is an unofficial practice they had followed for generations. While we

of course still have agricultural workers today it is dramatically less prevalent than it was when

Daylight savings was first put in place. Now, a majority of America is working with pen and

paper rather than plow and mule (The Economist). Even the farmers that are practicing today
 Eschrich 3

rely on machines to do the work rather than huge amounts of labor. It is a common sentiment

that Daylight savings is more harmful than it is helpful. In an article from Junior Scholastic a

survey revealed that many people believe that the constant biannual switch causes too much

confusion for the benefit it provides. In the modern day, the daylight savings time system

provides no benefit for most people and even has some fatal consequences.

Other research has shown that the day after the spring daylight savings date is one of the

most likely days to get into a car accident or a work-related accident. This may seem like a

stretch, but this is one of the most fatal and injury casing days of the year for one main reason.

The loss of even one hour of sleep is disrupting for most people. Sleep is essential for one’s

health that a one-hour variation to the normal hours one sleeps causes them to be less focused,

easily distracted, and much more fatigued the following day. An article from EHS says "One

hour of lost sleep may not seem like much. But our findings suggest it could have an impact on

people's ability to stay alert on the job and prevent serious injuries." For any individuals that

have jobs that put them in dangerous situations daylight savings could be a time of peril. If not

only for regard of these people, being rid of daylight savings would be for the benefit of anyone

who drives a car. On top of all of this, as detailed from an article by The Economist, a German

study showed that there was a 25% increase in heart attacks on this day compared to the average

of all other days. The practice of daylight savings time could be responsible for many

unnecessary deaths from the measly loss of one hour of sleep. That should be reason enough to

end the already annoying ritual.

The final reason that we should stop the practice of daylight savings time is its positive

correlation with mental health issues. The days after the spring daylight savings where an hour is

lost has shown a positive correlation with surveys of people feeling more depressed and even
 Eschrich 4

numbers of suicides. A lack of sleep or sudden change in sleep patterns as well as darker retinal

processing causes a lack of serotonin secretion, as can be seen in an article by The Economist

This may seem farfetched, but the disruption of many people's normal schedule and the loss of

an hour of sleep has negative effects on both the mind and body.

In conclusion, daylight savings time is a negative towards the lives of those who must

live with it. The negative affects to safety, health, and mental health this outdated practice causes

is far too high. The removal of this practice across the world would lead to happier early Marchs

and maybe even save a few lives.

 Eschrich 5

Works Cited

Brown, Bryan. "The End of Daylight-Saving Time?" Junior Scholastic/Current Events, 14 Oct.

2019, p. 15+. Gale Academic OneFile,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A604847505/AONE?

u=pl1949&sid=AONE&xid=ebec9354. Accessed 6 Nov. 2020.

"Daylight saving time connected to increased injuries." EHS Today, vol. 2, no. 12, Dec. 2009, p.

17. Gale Academic OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A214397845/AONE?

u=pl1949&sid=AONE&xid=82f0ce77. Accessed 6 Nov. 2020.

"Summertime ruse; Daylight-saving time." The Economist, vol. 431, no. 9137, 6 Apr. 2019, p.

44(US). Gale Academic OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A581327550/AONE?

u=pl1949&sid=AONE&xid=14ef4c71. Accessed 6 Nov. 2020.