Written By: Tan
“Spring forward and Fall back”. Every year we change our clocks forward or back an hour for daylight savings time. So many people complain about the 1 hour change in their day and sleep schedule. But there may be some validity to their complaints as there are mental health effects that are caused by waking up 1 hour earlier.That begs the question, should we keep daylight savings at all? There is no definitive answer to this question as everyone experiences the impacts of daylight savings time differently from one another. Some people may find that they struggle to adjust to the change in schedule, while others may find it difficult to get enough sleep. Some people may also find that they experience increased anxiety or depression during daylight savings time. A common side effect is a lower alertness, and trouble with memorization, which can especially affect students and their performance in school.
When daylight savings comes around, people have to wake up earlier and as such are more tired and likely are unable to fully function until their body gets used to it. As it stands, daylight savings does not have any real purpose but to try to maximize sunlight in the northern hemisphere and to save some energy.
This article will highlight the history of how daylight savings came to Canada in the 1900’s from a New Zealand entomologist. And how DST was a tactic for World War 1 and World war 2 to conserve energy that would be used by artificial lights, to be used in the front lines for soldiers. And why it was kept up in the years after the wars.
The effects that daylight savings have on people's mental health and wellbeing. This all relates back to circadian rhythm or the internal clock that dictates when we sleep and when we wake up. Daylight savings interrupts our normal circadian rhythm and as such causes people to feel sleepy during the day and low awareness, which in some cases leads to a range of accidents.
How DST relates to a student's ability to do well in class. The amount of sleep recommended for teenagers 13-18 years old is 8-10 hours. Daylight savings forces teenagers to wake up one hour early. It has been shown that lower sleep causes students to get poorer results in school as sleep helps with cognitive thought as well as many other brain functions.When daylight savings comes around, people have to wake up earlier and as such are more tired and likely are unable to fully function until their body gets used to it. As it stands, daylight savings does not have any real purpose but to try to maximize sunlight in the northern hemisphere and to save some energy.
This article will highlight the history of how daylight savings came to Canada in the 1900’s from a New Zealand entomologist. And how DST was a tactic for World War 1 and World war 2 to conserve energy that would be used by artificial lights, to be used in the front lines for soldiers. And why it was kept up in the years after the wars.
How you might combat daylight savings grogginess. Such as sticking to a sleep schedule, staying active, and avoiding naps. Most of the ways to prevent the sleepiness of daylight savings is simply some small lifestyle changes that can be used for not only daylight savings, but also regular days. And lastly how this relates to the TLK community
The history of daylight savings is an interesting one. It was first proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1784, which would supposedly save 64 million pounds of candle wax. Fast forward to 1895, a New Zealand entomologist that wanted two extra hours of sunlight to catch bugs. Later on during the first world war, Germany would begin trying to look for a way to save the fossil fuels they had. They would soon implement daylight savings to try to encourage people to not use as much energy on lights.After 2 years most of Europe, the United States, and Canada would also implement it as a way of saving energy. With Ontario, turning back the clocks 1 hour in 1908.
Daylight savings time usually comes with a string of groans attached but, this may actually show how daylight savings affects us negatively. It has been shown that after daylight savings, the rate of car accidents go up by 20 percent, with a 7 percent increase in fatality. These accidents all stem back to the lack of sleep caused by DST. As most of us already do not get the recommended amount of sleep, plus an extra average of 40 minutes that we lose due to daylight savings, can do real damage. Most of the effects are caused by circadian rhythm, and how daylight savings throws it off balance. The effect is similar to that of jetlag and causes people to be mentally and physically drained. This impairment can lead to other issues like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, depression, and anxiety. A study about,”Daylight Savings Time Transitions and the Incidence Rate of Unipolar Depressive Episodes”, showed that the switch caused a 11 percent increase in depressive episodes.
Age Group | Recommended Hours of Sleep Per Day |
New Born (2-3 months) | 14–17 hours (National Sleep Foundation) No recommendation (American Academy of Sleep Medicine) |
Infant (4-12 months) | 12–16 hours per 24 hours (including naps) |
Toddler (1-2 years) | 11–14 hours per 24 hours (including naps) |
Preschool (3–5 years) | 10–13 hours per 24 hours (including naps) |
School Age (6–12 years) | 9–12 hours per 24 hours |
Teen (13–18 years) | 8–10 hours per 24 hours |
Adult (18–60 years) | 7 or more hours per night |
Adult (61-64 years) | 7–9 hours |
Adult (65 years and older) | 7-8 hours |
(CDC)
As for the academic side of things, DST forces students to wake up earlier and disrupts their sleep schedule. This combined with most students not getting nearly enough sleep, makes their ability to focus and memorize during class significantly lower. It has been shown that students who have a regular sleep schedule have a GPA(grade point average) of 3.66, while students that have more sporadic sleep have an average GPA of 3.21. Using this as well as the study of, “Sleep quality, duration, and consistency are associated with better academic performance in college students”, we can see that as sleep increase so does score, and applying this to the average of 40 minutes lost during daylight savings and we can see that this could be a factor in a students’ success in the week that follows. The time shift could also be linked to the depressive episodes and seasonal depression many feel around this time.
(NPJ)
When it comes to how to prevent the daylight savings sleep issue, most of the treatments for less severe cases are just what you would do if you had trouble falling asleep. The simplest solutions are just some lifestyle changes to your sleeping patterns. Having a regular sleep pattern and staying active can help you sleep well and sleeping earlier would also counteract the effects of the 40 minutes lost. It is best to do your own research to figure out what you should do for your sleep practices as everyone’s reaction will differ.
WHY this story matters to the TLK community
In conclusion, this matters to the TLK community because when daylight savings happens it is around the first mid-semester, which can cause a dip in grades within the week that DST occurs. This as well as spreading the effects of how daylight savings affects people is important as it’s one of the things that does not really need to exist. From how it causes less sleep to effects correlated to tipping the delicate balance of circadian rhythm, there is a case to be made to discontinue the practice as a whole. There is also a case to be made about how school should change when it starts so that students can have a better sleep schedule. Regardless of what happens, people and students of TLK should think about ensuring they have the recommended amount of sleep for their age, have better sleep schedules, take care of themselves, sleep earlier, and generally remain healthier.
Works Cited
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CDC. “CDC - How Much Sleep Do I Need? - Sleep and Sleep Disorders.” CDC, 2017, www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/how_much_sleep.html.
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Hansen, Bertel T., et al. “Daylight Savings Time Transitions and the Incidence Rate of Unipolar Depressive Episodes.” Epidemiology, vol. 28, no. 3, May 2017, pp. 346–353, 10.1097/ede.0000000000000580.
Keaggy, Diane Toroian. “More Sleep Leads to Better Grades and Well-Being - the Source - Washington University in St. Louis.” The Source, 28 Oct. 2021, https://source.wustl.edu/2021/10/more-sleep-leads-to-better-grades-and-well-being/. Accessed 25 Nov. 2022.
Mayo Clinic. “Insomnia - Diagnosis and Treatment - Mayo Clinic.” Mayoclinic.org, 2016, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20355173. Accessed 25 Nov. 2022.
Okano, Kana, et al. “Sleep Quality, Duration, and Consistency Are Associated with Better Academic Performance in College Students.” Npj Science of Learning, vol. 4, no. 1, 1 Oct. 2019, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41539-019-0055-z.
Schimelpfening, Nancy. “Why Ditching Daylight Saving Time Would Be Healthier for Everyone.” Healthline, 14 Mar. 2022, www.healthline.com/health-news/why-ditching-daylight-saving-time-would-be-healthier-for-everyone#Why-does-daylight-saving-time-affect-us-this-way. Accessed 26 Nov. 2022.
Suni, Eric. “What to Do When You Can’t Sleep | National Sleep Foundation.” Sleepfoundation.org, 2019, www.sleepfoundation.org/insomnia/treatment/what-do-when-you-cant-sleep. Accessed 25 Nov. 2022.
Tchir, Jason. “Careful out There: The Switch to Daylight Savings Time May Spike Driver Fatigue.” The Globe and Mail, 9 Mar. 2019, www.theglobeandmail.com/drive/mobility/article-careful-out-there-the-switch-to-daylight-savings-time-may-spike/. Accessed 26 Nov. 2022.
The Canadian Encyclopedia. “Daylight Saving Time in Canada | the Canadian Encyclopedia.” Www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca, 22 Oct. 2019, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/daylight-saving-time-in-canada. Accessed 25 Nov. 2022.
Zussman, Richard. “The Pros and Cons of Switching to Permanent Daylight Saving Time.” Global News, 10 Sept. 2019, www.globalnews.ca/news/5885735/pros-cons-daylight-saving/. Accessed 25 Nov. 2022.
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