PCP: Daylight saving time impacting many Minnesotans
March 2, 2020
Two bills were proposed in February to the Minnesota legislature – HB 1397 and SF 1416 – debating on making daylight saving time permanently.
Daylight saving bills would allow for more stability
At this point, switching clocks to “spring forward” in March and “fall behind” in November has become automatic for most. However, this switch can cause a brutal change in our internal clocks.
With the new bills in place, we will no longer be forced to adjust every six months. There have been problems since the Uniform Time Act of 1966, according to the Department of Transportation.
According to the Department of Transportation, daylight saving time is useful for reducing energy, by lowering need for lights. However, we can be heavily affected as our bodies adjust to the time. One study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the risk of heart attacks increases during the transition after switching the clock.
Also, the sleep loss by the time change has lead to severe effects, such as an increase in traffic accidents, according to another New England Journal of Medicine study.
While some may say daylight savings increases the amount of sunlight we see, according to a study published in Epidemiology, there is actually a large uptick of depression cases in the month after we change the clocks in the fall.
This all begs the question, is daylight savings really helping?
More sunlight leads to increased happiness
Daylight savings is beneficial to most of the country because it adds to the amount of natural sunlight people receive. With the seasonal depression that some experience during winter, daylight saving time makes it so people can receive more natural sunlight.
The increase in natural light from the sun leads to less of a reliance on artificial light during the day.
Having daylight saving time is favorable because it counteracts the sedentary life that many Americans are accustomed to during the wintertime.
I enjoy going to the gym while the sun is out and the time change also allows for individuals to exercise outside with sunlight, such as walking dogs or going on strolls with their family.
The time change has a large economic impact in some areas of the United States.
According to Fundera, with the sun up longer, more people are willing to go outside and eat at restaurants and shop at stores outdoors in the sunlight. I know business owners see an increase in foot traffic and purchases if there were more sunlight.
I feel the change is good for everyone because it leads to an increase in natural sunlight, economic impact and more time to exercise.