Autumn landscape in Devon, England, illuminated by the morning sun in 2012.
Daylight Saving Time (DST) is a topic that has been debated for over a century. While some argue it offers energy savings and benefits to certain industries, others claim it causes more harm than good.
Recent studies question the energy-saving potential of DST, with some suggesting it might even have an opposite effect. For instance, a study by the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that the risk of heart attacks surges by 10% on the Monday and Tuesday after moving the clocks ahead an hour each spring. This "social jet lag," as it's called, makes people chronically tired due to their sleeping schedule being out of whack with optimal circadian sleep periods.
Moreover, the human body's circadian clock, kept in tune by light and darkness, never seems to adjust to the changing chronology of DST. Till Roenneberg, a chronobiologist at Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, Germany, suggests this inconsistency leads to decreased productivity, decreased quality of life, increasing susceptibility to illness, and overall fatigue.
However, not everyone is against DST. The golf industry, for example, estimated that an extra month of DST was worth $200 to $400 million in the mid-1980s. The U.S. barbecue industry also reported increased profits, pegging their gains at $150 million for the same additional month.
The TV industry, on the other hand, is among the practice's opponents. No matter when it is, even the most popular shows go down by 10 to 15 percent in viewership during the first week of DST.
The politics of DST have also been influenced by cash. Several industries, including the golf and barbecue industries, have supported the extension of DST. The U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005 mandated a controversial month-long extension of DST, which began in 2007.
Despite the federal government's mandate, some places, like Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Marianas Islands, choose to ignore the switch. This is because the federal government doesn't require states or territories to observe DST.
The energy savings attributed to DST are also questionable. In Germany, for instance, studies suggest the expected reduction in electricity consumption is often offset by increased use of heating or cooling, making widespread energy savings difficult to confirm.
In the end, the debate surrounding DST continues. Michael Downing, a Tufts University professor and author of "Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time," states that opposition to DST has been around for a century. As we approach another DST switch, the question remains: Is it worth the hassle?
A 2013 Rasmussen Report found that only 37% of Americans thought DST is "worth the hassle," while 45% said it was not. William F. Shughart II has estimated that the simple act of changing America's clocks and devices back and forth represents an annual $1.7 billion of lost opportunity cost.
As the world continues to grapple with the effects of DST, it seems the answer to whether it's worth it remains elusive.
