Oh I got a bad case of the blues.... DST blues. You feel me? It is an outdated and misunderstood policy that for no real good reason makes me SRPING my clock ahead and make it FALL back, again and again. Yes my friends... I am referring to Daylight Savings Time and I don't need to no doctor to diagnose with me with these blues.
To understand why we are told to "believe" it is important to torture ourselves twice a year with this madness, we must take a trip back to 1784 when old Benjamin Franklin first mentioned the idea of it. Gee - thanks Ben. It was not put in to practice until World War I. The goal was to cut artificial lighting use so troops could conserve fuel for the war. But the US didn’t really standardize the system until 1966, when it passed the Uniform Time Act. The Act was designed to reduce electricity usage by extending daylight hours. For eight months out of the year, the US and dozens of other countries follow DST, and for the remaining four months, we revert back to standard time in order to take full advantage of the sunlight. Riiigggghhhhttttttt.
No - we did not do this for the farmers which is what our parents told us. IN fact - the farmers have been lobbying against it since WWI. So we do this for energy conservation. Ok, I can get behind that, BUT, is the impact enough? Hardly.... if you read the studies done over the years there are no earth shattering results. In fact some say it uses more energy because we have the AC on longer in the hot summer months when the sun is up and use more gasoline because we drive longer with more daylight = more activities.
So WHY I ask, WHY do I have to feel this way twice a year?? It is bananas. Why can't the earth and sun tap dance around each other the way the universe intends it to? Why must we defy nature? This "desynchronization" of our own body clocks defies logic. When you look at studies of the negative effects on our bodies and health it's almost shocking.... a few nuggets:
Studies link the lack of sleep at the start of DST to car accidents, workplace injuries, and. Changing sleep patterns, even by one hour, goes against a person’s natural circadian rhythms and has negative consequences for health. One study found that the risk of a heart attack increases 10% the Monday and Tuesday following the spring time change.
The Monday after the spring time change is called “Sleepy Monday,” because it is one of the most sleep-deprived days of the year.
Now this is where it gets good...... the week after the spring DST time change there is an increase in “cyber-loafing." Wait what? Cyber-loafing is REAL ya'll..... this is employees wasting time on the internet because they’re tired. Hilarious.
Researchers found an increase in cluster headaches (sudden and debilitating headaches) after the fall time change.
And if that is not enough...... according to the Lost-Hour Economic Index, moving the clocks forward has a total cost to the US economy of $434 million nationally, factoring in health issues, decreased productivity, and workplace injuries.
ONLY 70 of 195 countries on earth practice this. That is only 35%? The majority for the win!
This is just a short list and it's depressing. At the end of the day this completely disrupts our sleep patterns and we all know MORE/QUALITY SLEEP = BETTER HEALTH. Momma needs her sleep! It's not just me, the kids are exhausted and can't get out of bed in the morning and at night I am forcing them to bed at the same time even thought they are not tired.
The dogs be like...... "I would swear I should have been given my dinner an hour ago!!! (While they pace and whine.) My own eating patterns are off and well..... I am just down right cranky!! I guess that is why I decided to write this today. So you will ask... do I complain when I FALL back and gain an hour? Yes, YES I do. I may have gained an hour but I have to resynchronize myself and my family again. The is all so counter-productive. Seriously.
Listen, this is all I want.... let's just pick EITHER Standard or DST time and implement it year long so we don't suffer from this nonsense and my kids don't have to experience the "mean and cranky" version of myself for two weeks (ok, maybe longer), twice a year.
I'm exhausted.... What say you?
