I haven’t “sprung forward”. I refuse to. I decided to keep my watch set true to standard time last year, and I’m proud to say that I lasted through a whole period of Daylight Saving Time without making the jump. Sure, it wasn’t easy living an hour behind most people. When I’m told, for example, there is a meeting at 2, I automatically must remind myself that the meeting is actually at 1. Most people don’t understand why I do this. Well, I do it mostly because I loathe DST, not just because it takes one hour of precious sleep away from me, but because it is an archaic practice that is not only rather pointless, but ultimately causes more problems than it purports to solve.
We live in a world where most people don’t question what they’re told. As a child, I questioned the practice of Daylight Saving Time. Parents, teachers and strange people on the street told me it existed to assist farmers, giving them a longer day to work the fields. At first I accepted this theory, but as I grew older, I started to question it:
‘Why would they want to work more in the afternoon when it’s hot outside, I thought farmers always woke up early so they could work in cool temperatures, and with DST that would make the mornings darker for them...’
‘...they’re not even really gaining or losing an hour anyway, the day is still 24 hours long, why don’t they just continue waking up with the sun?...’
‘...And besides, if DST really is designed exclusively for farmers, why the hell do I have to follow their stupid rules!?’
Something just wasn’t adding up. All these questions made me curious, and all that curiosity led me to do my own research. I discovered that the man we can thank for this pointless exercise is George Vernon Hudson, a Kiwi entomologist who officially proposed the idea in 1895. Now I must say, in its time the idea of DST made much more sense than it does now. Back then, the majority of electricity used by citizens was to power light bulbs in the evening hours. Old George knew that people would use less lighting if daylight was extended by an hour, and figured that this would help to conserve energy.
DST was not really taken seriously until World War I, when Germany and its allies began implementing it as a measure to conserve coal. It wasn’t long before Britain and its allies began adopting the idea, with the United States finally jumping on board in 1918.
Since that time, however, our energy usage patters have changed quite a lot. With the invention and popularization of many household electronics including TVs, computers and kitchen appliances, along with the widespread use of air conditioning units in many homes, interior lighting is no longer the primary draw of electricity in most dwellings. In fact, in Canada and the U.S., it only accounts for 3.5% of the electricity used in the average home. This number also continues to decrease as more people make the switch to energy efficient lighting such as CFLs and LEDs. The problem with DST is that it is based on older statistics that are no longer relevant. Some recent studies even indicate that due to increased use of air conditioning units in the late afternoon, and in some cases, the necessary use of heating in the morning hours actually results in more energy being wasted while everyone is in DST mode.
So Daylight Saving Time, the thing that’s supposed to miraculously save a significant amount of energy, doesn’t even save energy. But that’s only half of the problem.
Health and safety also comes into question. As if it wasn’t already obvious, a 2009 U.S. study found that the average person will get 40 less minutes of sleep on the Monday following a DST shift. The same study also shows an increase in workplace injuries and the severity of these injuries shortly after a DST shift. Sleep deprivation is already a major problem for many people without the added disruption of a DST shift. Other scientific research has proven DST to affect sleep patterns and severely throw the body’s natural circadian rhythm out of whack for weeks. This can result in many dangerous heath issues, including an increased risk of heart attacks within the first three weekdays after the time shift.
At least it’s reassuring to hear that some countries are considering these modern findings, and not surprisingly, it’s not a country in North America or even Europe. In 2005, the government of Kazakhstan made a bold move to abolish DST throughout the country. It was an obvious choice: DST was no longer saving energy, and it was negatively affecting the health of their citizens. I really hate this phrase, but for lack of a better one...it seems like a “no-brainer”.
While Kazakhstan took a step forward, it looks like over here in North America we’ve taken two steps back. A little digging will show that the most recent pushes for DST have come from American corporations. Since the 1980s, they have lobbied for extensions to DST on the sole premise that more daylight hours means more shopping hours. The most recent 2007 extension of DST was mostly due to the lobbying efforts of the National Association of Convenience Stores and the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. Many people opposed this extension, but guess what? It was soon forgotten, and everyone “sprung forward” a little earlier, and got a little sicker, without really questioning why.
The bottom line is that everyone needs to wake up (which may be difficult with DST disturbing everyone’s sleep patterns) and realize that they have to speak up and fight for their own health, safety and sanity, because our government sure as hell isn’t looking out for you. Until then, you’ll have to excuse me if I show up to your meeting an hour late.
- Posted on
14 March 2010 - Posted by
spncr