Week 7 Allison Mao: Daylight Savings: A Good Idea Or Not?
As you all may know, daylight savings ended on November 6th this year, resulting in an extra hour of sleep for everyone. Now the sun sets much more quickly in the afternoon; right when the bell rings at 3:13, the lighting outside already feels much dimmer than before the transition. During summer, it was sometimes possible to see faint traces of sunlight in the horizon even at almost nine o’clock. Today, the sun actually began to set at 4:56, which was just shocking to me. That’s less than two hours after school is out.
Coincidentally, in psychology class, we have begun a take-home unit that goes over sleep patterns and behaviors. In the book, it mentioned that car crashes actually decrease due to the extra hour of sleep from this time zone change. That makes sense since people may become more alert when they get a longer period of time to rest.
Although this sounds great, there are also risks that come with these changing time zones. It turns out the one hour lost during daylight savings time is actually responsible for causing an increase in crashes the day after, and fatal accidents increased by 6%. Additionally, there’s the disturbance of our circadian rhythm, the changes in our body that determine how we function that repeat every 24 hours. This could negatively impact sleep and help by disturbing the systems that are already set in place for the half year prior to the change.
The US Senate actually approved a bill to make daylight saving time permanent in 2022, saying it would begin in November 2023. Obviously, this is not the case, but it shows that actions have been taken against the yearly changing of time zones.
What do you think of these changing time zones? Would it be better to stick with one time zone throughout the year or is the current system completely fine?
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ReplyDeleteHi Allison! I really enjoy how you take a current situation and make it into an argument for readers to stay engaged in order for them to share their opinion on whether time zones should be changed during the year or kept the same. But you also manage to tie it back to your personal experiences such as the unit covered in your psychology class. It’s interesting how you bring up an argument and a counterargument using the same scenario of a car crash. This post reminded me of how much of an impact time zones can have on a person’s daily life. But personally, it reminded me of the exciting feeling of watching the sky remain bright to the disappointment of the sun setting too soon. It made me feel more informed about the broader discussions going on about the yearly changing of time zones and how it can both negatively impact sleep and daily activities during the day. I would definitely recommend expanding on your personal reflections as I am curious to know what you think is right regarding this issue.
ReplyDeleteHi Allison! I found your blog post about the recent daylight savings time change and how it's affected us to be really insightful. I like how you described the changes in the shifting daylight hours, especially after school. It's truly shocking that the sun sets just two hours after school. The incorporation of notes from your psychology class regarding sleep patterns and the impact of car accidents supports your claim and strengthens the discussion. In my psychology class, we’re learning about the same thing right now, and I completely agree that people are more active when they get more time to sleep and rest. I like how you portrayed the positive and negative aspects of daylight savings on driving and other things. The disruption of our body’s “circadian rhythm” was an intriguing point. Additionally, the mention of the US Senate bill to make daylight savings permanent makes your blog post stronger. It pulls up the question of whether having a set time throughout the year is a better approach or not. To address the question you asked in the last paragraph, I think having one consistent time zone might be better, as it is definitely a struggle to lose sunlight at 5:00 PM. Overall, I thought you had a thoughtful analysis of daylight savings time, and it has me thinking about the pros and cons of the situation.
ReplyDeleteHi Allison! This was a very insightful and interesting blog to read. Recently I was also reflecting on daytime savings and how the sun sets so early now. I really like the mention of our take-home unit in psychology as I found that unit very interesting and insightful. I like how you brought up "circadian rhythm" as it is definitely true on how it disrupts our already-formed cycle we had. In that unit we also learned how sleep affects our ability to focus and how we are more prone to make mistakes due to lack of sleep. While daytime savings is beneficial for our sleep as we get another extra hour in the fall, it is a disadvantage in the spring since we get one less. However, while daytime savings does disrupt our circadian rhythm, I think we should still keep it as we get more of daylight outside.
ReplyDeleteHi Allison! I found it really interesting that car crash rates decrease during daylight savings. That's an angle of the highly debated topic that I've never seen before, but it makes a lot of sense and I think it's great that you included that in there. Countering that point with the spike in car crashes the day time switches back was a great choice because it elaborates on the less talked about ideas of the real-world effects of daylight savings. Also, I liked that you tied the blog to your psychology class because it shows your personal connection to the topic. Personally, I find daylight savings to be pretty cool because having a time shift (forward or backward) for me is a weird change that I find a little bit fun to go through, but I can see why others would find it annoying.
ReplyDeleteHi Allison! You extend the implications of daylight savings to the extent of how sleep can affect behavior regularly. You relate the lawful updates of the U.S. Senate to the overall effect that people experience directly after the application of daylight savings. The negative impact that sleep deprivation can have is capitalized by the time in the spring when we go forward in time by an hour. This change in time may interfere with our bodily rhythm and bodily functions that are sudden.
ReplyDeleteWith a sudden change in circadian rhythm, it is reasonable that many car crashes and accidents occur during this period. These incidents can be easily avoided by following a legislative process that you advocate. Your specific emphasis on the rhetorical questions that you ask is instrumental in forming your argument at the end of the blog. The complex understanding of the dilemma surrounding daylight savings is an important component of deciding on further action to limit the concerns that daylight savings may inspire.
I appreciate that you asked for my opinion on the subject after offering your thoughts, which provides clarity on the various viewpoints that individuals may hold when considering the impact of daylight savings in a commonplace setting.