The Politics Behind Daylight Saving Time

We learned the potential health side effects of observing daylight saving time as it causes cluster headaches to occur in some people, particularly those with Alzheimer's and dementia, and others who have sleep disorders. Medical professionals suggest that it would be much better for people to stick with standard time, as it helps with the regulation of our circadian rhythms. However, there are political debates surrounding the implementation of DST, and there are currently 19 states pushing for a permanent DST. But it won't be law just yet until Congress makes it so. To learn which states those are, NPR lists them here.

On the opposite end, there are also nine states that would rather end daylight saving time altogether. Those in support of DST say that the reason why DST would be beneficial is economic as they see higher spending with DST as it encourages people to go out and do things. Now, the proposals are still pending in Congress but whether the benefits of a permanent DST outweigh the costs enough to justify legalizing it is still up in the air.

Personally, I just check my phone to see what time it is, and my circadian rhythm is a bit irregular, but I do use some sleeping pills to help me fall asleep, so it wouldn't matter much to me. Perhaps, other people would prefer sticking to the standard time, and not DST, while others may prefer DST because you get to go home earlier or go to work later. What do you think?

(Image credit: Chuttersnap/Unsplash)


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Ugh, clock changes hurt. I prefer DST because I prefer more daylight in the evening. However, I don't really care... just choose one and stick with it and get rid of the f'n time changes! Spring forward used to completely mess me up. I'd genuinely get a prolonged jet lag feeling that'd last up to a week while trying to adjust. In the past 6 or 7 years I've come up with a solution. I'll "fall back" with my clocks... however I'll also wake up an hour earlier and go to bed an hour earlier for the next 4 months. So I'm not changing my waking hours in relation to sunrise/set. I have the luxury of doing this being single and working for myself, so other peoples schedules don't impact me. Really, it's coming into winter here in Canaderp, and I start to hibernate anyways, so the impact of what the clock happens to read is minimal. And it's all done so that come March time-change I have zero adjusting to do. The only downside is that, for one night, everybody else gets to sleep an extra hour. It is, admittedly, a bit whacko to do this, however adjusting our clocks by an hour twice a year is even more whacko imo.
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