It’s time to ditch the biannual time change
It’s been nearly a week since daylight saving time kicked in and I still feel grouchy and tired. I want my lost hour of sleep back. This unnatural, unhealthy, inhumane seasonal time swap needs to come to an end.
Before the next fall back, the Colorado legislature should pass legislation to opt Colorado out of daylight saving time like Arizona, Hawaii and several U. S. territories have, or keep us in yearround DST like Florida is poised to do.
This experiment in sleep deprivation and disorientation began 100 years ago as an energysaving scheme during World War I. Deeply unpopular, Congress repealed it before ink hit paper on the Versailles Treaty. Farmers in particular hated it, so don’t blame them. The U. S. tried it again during World War II. After the war, it was no longer mandatory and participation varied across the country. Then in 1966 Congress passed the Uniform Time Act and our circadian rhythms have been missing a few beats ever since.
The time swap isn’t just a frustrating, brain fog- inducing plot to turn productive, happy people into joyless zombies twice a year; it has some serious consequences. According to a 2014 University of Colorado study, switching time twice a year was correlated with more than 300 deaths in a decade from auto accidents, heart attacks and stress.
A 2 012 University of Alabama Birmingham study found a 10 percent increase in heart attacks on the Monday and Tuesday after spring- forward Sunday. According to Finnish researchers, the risk of stroke is 8 percent higher during that Monday and Tuesday. The risk is even higher for cancer patients and people over 65 years of age. The spring time change can also trigger migraines and cluster headaches in those who suffer from those con- ditions says Cleveland Clinic’s Emad Estemalik.
Adults aren’t the only ones to experience problems. The time changes can wreak havoc on young children’s sleep and be stressful for parents. It’s bad all around. The costs are high and the benefits low. Daylight saving time isn’t even saving us energy, the main reason for its adoption a century ago.
Time to stop the nonsense. The Colorado General Assembly can free us from the brutal twice- a- year time shift. They’ve come close several times. The legislature considered making DST or standard time permanent in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017. The ski industry complained that the change would be confusing to tourists and impede safety checks on equipment. Seriously? Tourists heading to Hawaii and Arizona for a summer vacation seem to do OK. Tourists going south for a Florida winter holiday will adjust. Cellphones automatically make the time correction when travelers arrive, and a simple sign at the airport can help those who still wind a watch.
The only question still on the table is whether the state should be on standard time like its southern neighbor Arizona or follow Florida’s lead to permanent daylight saving time. The latter would be my preference, but either one would be an improvement over the sleepless status quo. The only hitch is, if legislators choose permanent daylight saving time, Colorado will have to wait for Congress to act. The 1966 law allows states to opt out of DST but not opt in for the full year. Fortunately, a bill to fix that has been introduced in the U. S. Senate by Sen. Marco Rubio of the Sunshine State.
These dreadful time switches are costing us our sleep and sanity. They are hardest on the most vulnerable — people with health problems, the elderly and children — but we’re all a little worse for it. The Colorado General Assembly should end the biannual time warp so we can all sleep a little easier.