Let’s add joy and lighten our load: Ditch daylight saving
Growing up in America, Easter was a time of renewal. Whether you were religious or not, the holiday marked the early days of spring, appearing around the same time as an extra hour of daylight, and one fewer hour of sleep.
The change heralded better things to come — summer, ice cream, long walks after dinner . . .
Alas, in the southern hemisphere, Sunday morning’s time travel involves setting clocks back an hour.
It hastens the evening’s gloom, but temporarily adds morning light. Still, the days will continue contracting, growing shorter and colder until the winter solstice in June.
The end of daylight saving* time marks a sharp plunge into darkness, literally and metaphorically.
I mourn the waning evening light. Experiencing less sunshine at day’s end is depressing, an insult to the injury of colder temperatures and the inevitable monsoons ahead, when even the dog fears to venture outside.
Moving our sunsets earlier is like someone shutting the lid on the toy box before we’ve finished playing.
I’d like to set my clocks forward and never look back.
Stop the timekeeping seesaw: Forward one hour in spring, back one hour in autumn — continue ad infinitum.
Let’s pick a time and stay there. Sure, the extra hour of sleep each April is nice, but I was probably going to use it to panicscroll my news feed, anyway.
We can reset our oven clocks, wall clocks, car clock (maybe) and allow our computer devices to reset themselves. But no switch, manual or automatic, can quickly reset body clocks.
Circadian rhythms are linked to day and night, or the cycle of light.
It’s one reason patients in critical care can suffer ICU psychosis: Their normal day-night rhythm has been upended.
Daylight saving in New Zealand was initially a way to give people an extra hour of sunshine after work.
During DST, clocks are normally set forward an hour from standard time during the summer months and back again in the autumn to make better use of natural daylight.
About 70 countries use daylight saving.
Japan, China and India are among those that do not. Clocks haven’t changed in Japan since 1951.
Most of Asia, South America and Australia have abandoned daylight saving time.
Claims of energy savings may no longer hold true, as we’re continuously consuming power by using heaters, air conditioners, computers and other screens.
On the plus side, use of artificial light may be reduced after the switch to DST, depending on your latitude.
Losing an hour of sleep at the beginning of DST has been shown in studies to increase heart attacks, car accidents and suicides, while potentially increasing road safety.
The end of DST in autumn is linked to fewer heart attacks, but more depression.
Our modern society, with all its conveniences, does not need a twice-yearly time change.
A Kiwi group called Take Back the Clocks insists the time travel is unnecessary, and bad for us.
The group has started a petition to implement a permanent daylight saving time.
It states, “. . . Changing clocks is disruptive, unnatural, unnecessary, and causes stress for almost all New Zealanders — especially parents of young children, dairy cows, and anyone working across time zones.
“We suggest that permanent daylight saving would protect sleep habits, benefit retailers, and reduce energy use.
“If businesses or schools need to seasonally adjust operating hours, they could do so voluntarily.”
As of midday Friday, the petition had about 300 signatures, but the deadline is Monday, April 19, so there’s still time to sign.
Other Western nations are considering permanent DST.
A bipartisan group of American lawmakers have introduced the Sunshine Protection Act to make daylight saving permanent across the country.
Democratic sponsor Senator Ed Markey said, “Studies have found year-round daylight saving time would improve public health, public safety, and mental health — especially important during this cold and dark Covid winter.”
The European Union planned to stop tinkering with time this year after the EU Parliament in 2019 voted to scrap biannual clock changes.
The move has been stalled by the pandemic, Brexit and bureaucracy.
As the world groans under the weight of crisis, this small change could lighten our mental loads.
We can add joy to our corner of the globe by making daylight saving time permanent.
Imagine the minutes you’ll save when you no longer have to change your clocks.
*Note: There’s no “s” on “saving” in daylight saving time