SPRING FORWARD? FALL BACK? MAKE IT STOP.

Today, the clock sprang forward and most of the nation was robbed of an hour of sleep. The time change will become the flap of the morning on Twitter and in the larger media, leading to complaints, calls for change and frequent references to statistics showing how the transition leads to increased strokes, heart attacks and sleep deprivation.

But nothing — except, of course, the clocks themselves — will actually change. And most of us will forget our grievances until the fall.

I, for one, will not forget. As somebody who grew up in Arizona, one of two states in the U.S. that observes perpetual standard time, this has never been normal to me. And learning more about the history of daylight saving time has only made the change feel more arbitrary.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been told the time change is for the benefit of farmers. But the agriculture industry actually fought against the adoption of daylight saving time after it was first introduced in 1918, arguing it disturbed their work schedules.

The time change was actually inspired by calls to save energy during World War I. It was made uniform in 1966 and the dates we follow now have been in place since 2007.

Yet conflicting results from various studies indicate it’s not actually clear whether the time change is even saving energy — the single claim its existence hinges upon — or if it’s simply shifting energy use to other times.

But what is clear is that the time change is deeply unpopular, with 63 percent of U.S. adults in favor of eliminating the change and just 16 percent opposed, according to a 2021 Yougov poll. This opposition is consistent across political affiliations, and just last year the Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight sav

ing time permanent. The House has not yet considered it.

“Unanimous” is a strong word in American politics, but apparently not strong enough to overcome the country’s usual indifference to consensus. While most people agree it’s time to retire the time change, they can’t agree on whether daylight saving time or standard time is better.

While I personally would take either of the time options over our current system, I have a strong preference for permanent daylight saving time, which would mean later sunrises and sunsets. For me, the choice is ultimately about mental health, work-life balance and safety.

Aside from the shortterm satisfaction of gaining an hour, I’ve come to dread the fall back each November. For me and many others who are vulnerable to seasonal affective disorder (unironically abbreviated SAD), the long, dark nights can take a serious toll on my overall mood as the lack of sunlight disrupts the body’s internal clock and serotonin levels.

When it’s already dark by the time I’m off work, it becomes more difficult for me to do things that benefit my mental health, such as exercise outdoors, spend time in nature or socialize with friends. Part of this is unique to the fact that I’m a young woman, and I’m constantly reminded that being out alone at night can be dangerous. This doesn’t always stop me, but it can be limiting.

These circumstances are worsened by the fact that I and so many others now work from our homes. When my home is also my workplace, and safe outside activities are limited after work by the early sunset, it’s harder to maintain a healthy work-life balance by leaving the house. This combined with seasonal depression has the potential to create a destructive feedback loop.

In this world, there are early birds and night owls, and this distinction probably plays heavily into whether you prefer earlier sunrises or later sunsets. It’s possible, although not preferable, for me to catch my rays in the morning, but by the time I’ve established that habit, the “spring forward” strikes.

These may sound like hollow complaints coming from somebody who’s spent the majority of their life in the sunniest corner of the U.S., but concerns about mental health and work-life balance ring true for people in all parts of the nation and should be taken seriously.

If part of the solution to our country’s endemic lack of happiness could be as easy as giving people more sun, and this is a rare area of agreement in American politics, why wouldn’t our lawmakers take advantage of this low-hanging fruit?

On March 2, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-florida, reintroduced his bipartisan proposal to make daylight saving time permanent. Californians paved the way for the state to do the same in 2018 when they enthusiastically backed Proposition 7.

I know I said before that nothing would change, but I would love to be proven wrong.