Leaf peeping season is slowly coming to an end. The days are getting shorter and colder, hinting towards the dormant days of winter ahead. Along with the slow approach of winter, daylight saving time is coming to an end this weekend on November 2nd. Whether you are a fan of the extra hour of sleep, or a strong advocate against the early sunsets, the changing between daylight savings and standard time has been an annual adjustment for much of American history.
Daylight savings was originally adopted in 1918 to extend the hours of daylight into the evening in an effort to conserve energy and fuel during World War I. This new change was quickly repealed in 1919, only to reappear yet again during the Second World War. At this point in American history, the switching between daylight savings and standard time was across most states in the US. However, there were no official dates or regulations for the timing of switching the clocks. Consequently, from the 1940s to the 1960s, there was a certain level of uncertainty and chaos from state to state as they were able to determine when or if they wanted to implement daylight savings time independently. Finally, in 1966, the Uniform Time Act enforced specific and consistent dates in the year determining when daylight savings would start and end.
As long as daylight savings has been around, there has been much debate and conflict over the clock changing. There are many supporters of permanent standard time and, on the contrary, many supporters of permanent daylight savings time. Supporters of permanent daylight savings time often desire longer hours of daylight, especially during the winter months. Essentially, this means the winter sunset times would typically be around 5pm rather than 4pm. However, this would result in darker morning hours commuting to work and school. Many supporters of daylight savings argue that having sunlight later in the day is worth the trade offs. In fact, Hingham High student Henry Sellers states, “One thing about the winter that I cannot stand is getting home after school just to see it get dark at 4:30 [pm]. There is so much less to do when it is dark and gloomy out after spending an entire day indoors.”
Recently, there have been legislative efforts in order to make daylight savings permanent in the US, however many look back at 1974, a year in which this was a reality, to see the flaws in this change. During 1974, scientists recorded the negative effects on the sleep health of Americans with the change in seasonal clocks. These scientists reported that daylight savings affects the natural circadian rhythm of the sleep cycle and in turn disrupts sleep. Furthermore, it was recorded that during 1974, morning commutes were more dangerous with dark roads, icier conditions, and sleepless drivers. When reflecting on the effects of the time change, senior Chase Beighley, unlike Sellers, mentioned, “I like to prioritize my sleep, so if standard time in the winter helps that, I guess I am fine with the earlier sunsets.”
